英语谚语大全

英语谚语大全

2009-11-17 10:11

吃一堑，长一智

A fall into the pit, a gain in your wit.

事实胜于雄辩

Facts speak louder than words.

寸金难买寸光阴

Money can not buy time.

失败乃成功之母

Failure is the mother of success.

教学相长 to teach is to learn.

有其父，必有其子 Like father, like son.

骄兵必败 Pride goes before a fall

浑水摸鱼 Fish in the troubled waters.

公事公办 Business is business

文如其人 The style is the man

欲速则不达 More haste, less speed.

英雄所见略同 Great minds think alike

祸不单行 Misfortunes never comes alone.

隔篱有眼，隔墙有耳 Hedges have eyes, walls have ears.

谋事在人，成事在天 Man proposes, God disposes.

情人眼里出西施 Beauty is in the eye of the beloved.

时不我待Time and tide wait no man

少壮不努力，老大徒伤悲A young idler, an old beggar.

家有万贯财，不如一身健Health in better than wealth.

无官一身轻Out of office, out of danger

居安思危In time of peace prepare for war.

祸从口出\言多必失The tongue cuts the throats

眼不见为净 Out of sight, out of mind.

有情人终成眷属 All shall be well, Jack will have Jill

聚散离合总有时\天下无不散之筵席Friends must part

前事不忘，后事之师\前车之覆，后车之鉴

The remembrance of the past is the teacher of the future. 爱屋及乌Love me, love my dog

一箭双雕\一石二鸟Kill two birds with one stone

说曹操曹操到Speak of devil(and he will appear)

新官上任三把火A new broom sweeps clean

杀鸡儆猴Beat the dog before the lion

勿打草惊蛇Let sleeping dogs lie

班门弄斧Teach fish to swim

一言既出，驷马难追A word spoken is past recalling

一朝被蛇咬，十年怕井绳Once bitten, twice shy

物以类聚，人以群分Birds of a feather flock together

一不做，二不休In for a penny, in for a pound

无风不起浪There is no smoke without fire

胸有成竹Have a card up one’s sleeve

有口无心His bark is worse than his bite

本末倒置Put the cart before the horse

佛要金装，人要衣装Fine feathers make fine birds

种瓜得瓜，种豆得豆As a man sows, so he shall reap

得陇望蜀\得寸进尺Much will have more

喧宾夺主 The sauce is better than the fish

挂羊头，卖狗肉He cries wine and sells vinegar

酒香不怕巷子深Good wine needs no bush

王婆卖瓜，自卖自夸Every potter praises his pot

青出于蓝而胜于蓝The pupil outdoes the master

天涯何处无芳草There are plenty of fish in the sea

强中更有强中手Diamond cut diamond

杀鸡用牛刀He takes a spear to kill a fly

拿了手短，吃了嘴软Gifts blind the eyes

不要恩将仇报Don’t bite the hand that feeds you

天下乌鸦一般黑Dogs bite in every country

口蜜腹剑Peace on the forehead and war in the mind

明枪易躲，暗箭难防Better an open enemy than a false friend

明修栈道，暗度陈仓Do one thing under cover of another

心有余而力不足The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak

滴水穿石\只要功夫深，铁杵磨成针Little strokes fell great oaks

人不可貌相，海水不可斗量Judge not a book by its cover

殊途同归All roads lead to Rome\All rivers run into the sea

身正不怕影子斜A straight foot is not afraid of a crooked shoe

水能载舟，亦能覆舟The same knife cut bread and fingers

燕雀安知鸿鹄之志A sparrow can not understand the ambition of a swan

宁为鸡首，无为牛后It is better to be the head of a dog\lizard than the tail of a lion

宁为玉碎，不为瓦全It is better to die than to live when life is a disgrace\Bet ter die with honor than live with shame

人非圣贤，孰能无过A horse that stumbles that has four legs

为人不做亏心事，半夜不怕鬼敲门A clear conscience is a sure card

做贼心虚A bad consc ience is a snake in one’s heart

事与愿违All your swans are geese [gi:s]

天网恢恢，疏而不漏Justice has long arms

大器晚成Late fruit keeps well

既来之，则安之Take things as they come

君子之交淡如水A hedge between keeps friendship green

生命在于运动Rest breeds rust

树大招风Names are debts

盛名之下，其实难副Common fame is a liar

醉翁之意不在酒Many kiss the baby for the nurse’s sake

不入虎穴，焉得虎子Nothing venture, nothing have

入乡随俗Do in Rome as the Romans do

木已成舟\覆水难收Things done cannot be undone

真金不怕火炼True blue will never stain

三个和尚没水喝Everybody’s business in nobody’s busine ss

小巫见大巫The moon is not seen when the sun shines

因小失大Penny wise and pound foolish

大智若愚He knows most who speaks least\Still water runs deep

自食其果As you make the bed, so you must lie in it

五十步笑百步The pot calls the kettle black

一失足成千古恨Short pleasure, long lament

请勿盲目乐观Don’t count the chicken before they are hatched

若要人不知，除非己莫为What is done by night appears by day

塞翁失马，焉知非福Danger is next neighbor to security

祸兮福所倚，福兮祸所伏Misfortune might be a blessing in disguise

失之东隅，收之桑榆What we lose in hake we shall have in herring

有福同享，有难同当\患难与共\风雨同舟Stick together through thick and thin

各人自扫门前雪，莫管他人瓦上霜Save your breath to cool your porridge

心急吃不了热豆腐\有意栽花花不开，无心插柳柳成荫A watched pot never boils

江山易改，本性难移A leopard can not change its spots\You can not make a crab w alk straight

顺其自然\随遇而安\车到山前必有路Don’t trouble trouble until trouble troubles you

天有不测风云，人有旦夕祸福Accidents will happen\Every tide has its ebb

智者千虑必有一失Even Homer sometimes nods\The best horse stumbles

冰冻三尺非一日之寒Rome was not built in a day

留得青山在，不愁没柴烧the shepherd would rather lose the wool than the sheep

小洞不补，大洞吃苦\亡羊补牢A little leak will sink a great ship\A stitch in ti me saves nine.

沉默是金Silence is golden

滚石不生苔A rolling stone gathers no moss

一燕不成夏one swallow does not make a summer

闪闪发光物，并非皆金子All is not gold that glitters

双鸟在林，不如一鸟在手A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush

闻啼知鸟，闻言知人A bird is known by its note and a man by his talk

天生万物，唯人为贵Man is the most valuable among all the things that heaven fo sters.

逝者如斯夫，不舍昼夜The passage of time is just like the flow of water, which goes on day and night

民为贵，社稷次之，君为轻The people are the most important element in a state; next are the land and grain; least is the ruler himself

万物相育而不相害，道并行而不相悖All living creatures grow together without har ming one another; ways run parallel without interfering with one another

相知无远近，万里尚有邻Distance can not separate true friends who feel so close even they are thousands of miles apart

二人同心，其利断金If two people are of the same mind, their sharpness can cut the through metal

一乡之善士斯友一乡之善士，天下之善士斯友天下之善士A good citizen in one commun ity will befriend the other citizens of the community; a good citizen of the w orld will befriend the other citizens of the world.

安危相易，福祸相生，缓急相争，聚散相成。Safety and danger alternate with each other. Misfortune and fortune generate each other. Slowness and promptness fol low each other. Gathering and scattering complement each other.

饱而知人之饥，温而知人之寒，逸而知人之劳When full, remember someone else is su ffering cold; when in ease, remember someone else is suffering fatigue

彼求之而后得，为之而后成，积之而后高，尽之而后圣。故圣人也者，人之所积也Man se eks before gains, toils before succeeds, accumulates before increases, and exh austs his efforts before he becomes a sage. Thus, a sage grows out of accumula tion

博学之，审问之，慎思之，明辨之，笃行之Learn extensively, inquire thoroughly, p onder prudently, discriminate clearly, and practice diligently

不登高山，不知天之高也；不临深渊，不知地之厚也One can never be aware of the he ight of the sky or the depth of the earth, if he does not climb a high mountai n or look down into a deep abyss

不闻不若问之，闻之不若见之，见之不若知之，知之不如行之。学至于行之而止矣It is better to hear something than not to hear it; still better to see it than not to hear it; still better to know it than not to see it; still better to practi ce it than to know it. Learning will not stop until it is put into practice.

不义而富且贵，于我如浮云Wealth and rank attained through immoral means are as empty as floating clouds to me

不知则问，不能则学，虽能必让，然后为德It makes a moral man to ask for what he does not know, to learn what he can not do, and to restrain himself from what he is capable of

诚既勇兮又以武，终刚强兮不可凌Brave and courageous you are the most. Till your death you stick to your post

大道之行也，天下为公A public spirit will rule all under the heaven when the gr eat way prevails

大江东去，浪淘尽，千古风流人物The endless river flows eastward; with its huge waves, gone are all those gallant heroes of bygone years.

大成若缺，其用大弊；大盈若冲，其用无穷；大直若屈，大巧若拙，大辩若讷What is mo st perfect seems to have something missing; yet its use is unimpaired. What is most full seems empty; yet its use will never fail. What is most straight app ears crooked; what is most skilled appears clumsy; and what is eloquent appear s incoherent.

丹青不知老将至，富贵于我如浮云Absorbed in painting, you know not old age is co ming; indeed, to me wealth and rank are like clouds drifting away

但愿人长久，千里共婵娟We wish each other a long life so as to share the beauty of this graceful moonlight, even though we are miles apart

道可道，非常道；名可名，非常名。无名，天地之始；有名，万物之母The way that can be told of is not an Unvarying Way; the names that can be named are not unvar ying names. It was the nameless that Heaven and the Earth sprang from; it was the named that nurtured everything between the heaven and earth.

道在天地之间，其大无外，其小无内The way fills up the universe. For its greatne ss, nothing lies outside it; for its smallness, nothing lies within it.

得天之道，其事若自然；失天之道，虽立不安Following the natural law, everything will go smoothly. Disobeying it, even rule established will be upset

地势坤，君子以厚德载物As the earth’s capacity is to hold, so must a gentleman constantly cultivate virtue in himself to shoulder the world.

独在异乡为异客，每逢佳节倍思亲A lonely stranger in a strange land I am cast, I miss my family all the more on every festive day

笃信好学，守死善道Stick to the truth you believe, broaden your knowledge about it, and be ready to die for realization

多知而无亲，博学而无方，好学而无定者，君子不与The gentleman does not agree wit h those who know too much but are close to nothing, or learn too broadly but w ithout direction, or love too many but without fixed ones

法不阿贵，绳不挠曲。法之所加，智者弗能辞，勇者弗能争。刑过不避大臣,赏善不遗匹夫The law does not favor the noble, as an ink line does not yield to the crooked wood. Wherever the law applies, the wise can not evade, nor can the brave def y. Punishment applies to a minister, as rewards apply to a common man

富贵不能淫，贫贱不能移，威武不能屈，此之为大丈夫It is a true great man whom no money and rank can confuse, no poverty and hardship can shake, and no power a nd force can suffocate.

公生明，偏生暗 Impartiality produces clarity and partiality obscurity

躬自厚而薄责于人Be strict with yourself and lenient to others

苟利社稷，死生以之Life or death, I will do whatever I can for the benefits of the country

贵以贱为本，高以下为基The noble takes the humble as its root; the high takes t he low as its base

海不辞水，故能成其大；山不辞土，故能成其高；明主不厌人，故能成其众，士不厌学，故能成其圣A sea is vast, as it rejects no water. A mountain is high, as it rej ects no rocks. A wise ruler gathers more people, as he is not tired of meeting people. A scholar becomes a sage, as he not tired of learning.

海内存知己，天涯若比邻A bosom friend afar brings distance near

合抱之木，生于毫末；九层之台，起于累土；千里之行，始于足下A huge tree that fil ls one’s arms grows from a tiny seedling; a nine-storied tower rises from a h eap of earth; a thousand-li journey starts with the first step.

祸兮，福之所倚；福兮，祸之所伏Misfortune generates happiness, and happiness br eeds misfortune

见利不亏其义，见死不更其守Do not forget righteousness in face of profits, nor alter the moral principles in face of death.

见贤思齐焉，见不贤而内自省也 When seeing a man of virtue, try to become his eq ual; when seeing a man without virtue, examine yourself not to have the same d efects

江海所以能为百谷之王，以其善下之Rivers and seas can become the kings of valley s because they excel in taking the lower positions

江山如此多娇，引无数英雄竞折腰This land is so beautiful that it has made count less heroes bow in homage.

节其流，开其源，而时斟酌焉Cut down the expenditure, open up additional resourc es, and constantly check your finance to make a balance.

举头望明月，低头思故乡Rising my head, I see the moon so bright; withdrawing my eyes, my nostalgia comes around

俱往矣，数风流人物，还看今朝All are past and gone; we look to this age for tru ly great men

君子成人之美，不成人之恶A man of virtue helps others to achieve their moral pe rfection but not their evil conduct

君子独立不惭于影，独寝不愧于魂A righteous man never feels ashamed to face his shadow when standing alone and to face his soul when sleeping alone

君子苟能无以利害义，则耻辱亦无由至矣If a gentleman can be free from temptation of profit at the cost of justice, no shame or disgrace will ever befall him

君子谋道不谋食，忧道不忧贫A righteous man seeks truth, not wealth, and worries about truth, not about dearth

君子食无求饱，居无求安，敏于事而慎于言，就有道而正焉，可谓好学矣A gentleman se eks neither a full belly nor a comfortable home. Instead, he is quick in actio n and cautious in speech. He follows those of virtue in order to rectify himse lf. Such a man may be considered as fond of learning

君子之交淡如水，小人之交甘若醴。君子淡以亲，小人甘以绝The friendship between m en of virtue is light like water, yet richly affectionate; the friendship betw een men without virtue is sweet like wine, yet easily broken

可贵可贱也，可贵可贫也，可杀而不可使为奸也Noble or humble, rich or poor, a gen tleman would rather be killed than be persuaded to do evils

克勤鱼邦，克俭于家Work diligently for the country and frugally for the family

劳而不伐。有功而不德，厚之至也He is the modest man of all the modest who toils but does not boast it and succeeds but does not credit it

劳苦之事则争先，饶乐之事则能让Strive to be the first to bear hardness, and ret reat to be the last to for enjoyment

老吾老以及人之老，幼吾幼以及人之幼Respect the aged in one’s family as well a s the aged in other famil ies, and love the young in one’s family as well as t he young in other family

乐民之乐者，民亦乐其乐；忧民之忧者，民亦忧其忧。乐以天下，忧以天下，然而不王者未之有也When one rejoices in the joy of his people, they will also rejoice in his joy: when one grieves at the sorrow of his people, they do the same. He wh o rules his country is who occupies himself with concerns for the pleasures an

d sorrow of all his people

礼尚往来。往而不来，非礼也；来而不往，亦非礼也Propriety demands reciprocity. I t is not propriety to give but not receive, or vice versa

两情若是长久时，又岂在朝朝暮暮If love between both sides can last for aye, why need they stay together night and day?

令则行，禁则止Act when ordered, and stop when prohibited

路漫漫其修远兮，吾将上下而求索The way ahead is long and has no ending; yet hig h and low I will search with my will unbending

乱则国危，治则国安Disorder brings peril to a country, while order brings peace to it

民为贵，社稷次之，君为轻The people are the most important element in a state; next are the gods of land and grain; least is the ruler himself

敏而好学，不耻下问Quick-minded and eager to learn, he is never ashamed to cons ult his inferiors

明而动，晦而休，无日以怠Work as day breaks, and rest as night falls; never wil l a day slip away without any accomplishment.

朴素而天下莫能与之争美Nothing in the world excels in beauty as simplicity does

千丈之堤，以蝼蚁之穴溃；百尺之室，以突隙之烟焚A long dike will collapse becaus e of an ant-hole in it; a tall building will be burned because of a spark from a chimney’s chink

锲而舍之，朽木不折；锲而不舍，金石可镂If you carve but give up half way, even a decayed piece of wood will not break; if you carve without a break, even met al and stone can be engraved

曲则全，枉则直；洼则盈，敝则新；少则得，多则惑To be part is to be whole; to be bent is to be straight; to be hollow is to be filled; to be dilapidated is to be renewed,; to have less is to gain; to have more is to be confused

人惰而侈则穷，力而俭则富Laziness and extravagance make a poor man, while dilig ence and frugality a rich man

人有悲欢离合，月有阴晴圆缺，此事古难全Men have sorrow and joy; they part and m eet again. The moon dims or shines, it waxes or wanes. Nothing is perfect, not even in the olden days

人之于文学也，犹玉之于琢磨也Learning and culture to a man is what polishing an d grinding are to jade

三人行，必有我师焉。择其善者而从之，其不善者而改之Among any three men walking, I will find something to learn for sure. Their good qualities are to be follo wed, and their shortcomings are be avoided

善学者，假人之长以补其短He who is kee n in learning takes other people’s forte s to make up his own defects

善学者尽其理，善行者究其难He who is good at learning exhausts the principles. He who is good at practicing seeks to solve the most difficult problems

身老而必安，为之；利少而义多，为之Do what toils the body but eases the mind, a nd do what brings less profit but more justice.

石可破也，而不可夺坚；丹可磨也，而不可夺赤A stone may me crushed, but not to b

e deprived o

f its hardness; a cinnabar may be grounded to pieces but not to be deprived of its redness

士不可以弘毅，任重而道远。仁以为己任，不亦重乎？死而后已，不亦远乎An educated gentleman cannot but be resolute and broad-minded, for he has taken up a heavy responsibility and a long course. Is it not heavy responsibility, which is to practice benevolence? Is it not a long course, which will end only with his d eath?

士之为人，当理不避其难，临患忘利，遗生行义，视死如归A moral intellectual is on e who escapes no danger in face of truth, discards personal interests in front of disaster, practices righteousness at the expense of life, and look upon de ath as going home

逝者如斯夫，不分昼夜The passage of time is just like the flow of water, which goes day and night

水火有气而无生，草木有声而无知，禽兽有知而无义；人有气，有生，有知，亦且有义，故最为天下贵也Fire and water possess a spirit but no life, grass and trees pos sess a life but no awareness, birds and animals possess awareness but no sens e of morality. Only humans possess spirit, life and awareness, as well as the sense of morality, hence the noblest beings in the world

水之积也不厚，则其负大舟也无力；风之积也不厚，则其负大翼也无力Without sufficie nt depth, no water can float large boats. Without sufficient density, no wind can support large birds

顺天者昌，逆天者亡Those who follow the heaven’s law will flourish and those w ho go against it will perish.

虽有佳肴，弗食不知其旨也；虽有至道，弗学不知其善也。是故学然后知不足，教然后知困。知不足，然后能自反也；知困，然后能自强也。故曰教学相长也Delicious as may b e the food, one never knows its taste except eating it; perfect as may be thes e course be, one never knows its goodness except learning it. Thus it is after learning that one knows his deficiency, and after teaching one discovers his confusion. Knowing of his deficiency stimulates him to self-examination; and d iscovery of his confusion leads him to self-improving. That is why we say teac hing and learning encourage each other.

天道亏盈而益谦，地道变盈而流谦，人道恶盈而好谦It is the way of heaven to lesse n the full to complement the humble, and the way of Earth to change the full t o replenish the humble, and the way of Man to hate the full to cherish the hum ble

天生万物，唯人为贵Man is the most valuable among all the things that heaven fo sters

天生我材必有用Heaven has endowed me with talents for eventual use

天时不如地利，地利不如人和Opportunities vouchsafed by Heaven are outmatched by terrestrial advantages, which in turn are outmatched by the harmony among peo ple

天行健，君子以自强不息As heaven’s movement is ever vigorous, so must a gentle man ceaselessly strive along

听不审不聪，不审不聪则缪；视不察不明，不察不明则过；虑不得不知，不得不知则昏Li

stening without attention is not hearing; then falsehood follows. Looking with out examination is not seeing; then errors follow. Considering without intenti on is not knowing; the confusion follows.

听其言必责其用，观其行必求其功Words are to be judged by their function; and de eds are be observed from their effects

温故而知新，可以为师矣He who is able to reach new understanding by reviewing t he old knowledge is qualified to be a teacher

无为其所不为，无欲其所不欲Don’t do what not be done; don’t desire what shoul d not be desired

吾日三省吾身；为人谋而不忠乎？与朋友交而不信乎?传而不习乎？Every day I examine myself time and again: Have I been unfaithful in giving counsels to others? H ave I been insincere in getting along with my friends: Have I failed to review what I have been taught?

物格而后知至，知至而后意诚；意诚而后心正，心正而后身修；身修而后齐家，齐家而后治国，国治而后天下平Things investigated, genuine knowledge acquired; genuine k nowledge acquired, thoughts purified, thoughts purified, hearts rectified; hea rts rectified, personalities cultivated; personalities cultivated, families re gulated. Families regulated, the states well governed; the states well governe d, the whole world will be in peace and tranquility

先义而后利者荣，先利而后义者辱He who puts righteousness before profits is resp ectable; he who put profits before righteousness is discreditable

相见时难别亦难It is unbearable to meet as well as to depart

相邻无远近，万里尚有邻Distance can not separate true friends who feel so close even when they are thousands of miles apart

小人以小善为无益而不为也，以小恶为无伤而为也，故恶积而不可掩，罪大而不可解A me an man thinks that small virtues are useless and does not practice them, and s mall vices are harmless and does not abandon them. Hence his vices accumulate till they can not be covered, and his guilt becomes great till it can not be f reed from.

信言不美，善言不辩True words need not be fine-sounding; the good man does not prove by argument.

学不可以已。青取之于蓝，而青于蓝；冰，水为之，而寒于冰。君子博学而日三省乎己，则知明而行无过矣There is never an end to learning. The dye extracted from the indigo is bluer than the plant; so is the ice colder than the water; the gentl eman sharpens his awareness and makes fewer mistakes

学而不思则罔，思而不学则殆Learning without thinking leads to confusion; thinki ng without learning ends in danger

学而不厌，诲人不倦Never be contented with your study. Never be impatient with your teaching

学如逆水行舟，不进则退Learning is like rowing upstream: not to advance is to d rop back

言近而指远者，善言也；守约而施博者，善道也It is a good speech that talks near but signifies far; it is a good way that operates restrictedly but applied wid ely

言之无文，行而不远Words without content will not reach far and wide

一尺之棰，日取其半，万世不竭Cutting off a foot-long club by half every day wil l not exhaust in any day

一手独拍，虽疾无声Clapping with one hand, however fast, makes no sound

有朋自远方来，不亦乐乎It is such a delight to have friends coming from afar

于安思危，于达思穷，于得思丧In peace, think of danger; in prosperity, think of poverty; in gain, think of loss

玉不琢，不成器，人不学，不知道As a jade without chiseling will not become a us eful object, a man without learning will not know the Way

欲富尔家，先富尔国Prosper your country before you prosper your family

欲穷千里目，更上一层楼We widen our views three hundred miles by ascending one flight of stairs

在天愿作比翼鸟，在地愿为连理枝In heaven let us be two birds flying over togeth er, and on earth two trees with branches interlocked forever

知己知彼，百战不殆；不知彼而知己，一胜一负；不知彼，不知己，每战必殆Knowing bo th the enemy and yourself, you are sure to win every battle; knowing yourself but not the enemy, you will equal chance to win or lose; knowing neither your enemy nor yourself, you are destined to lose all battles

知之为知之，不知为不知，是知也One’s true knowledge lies in recognizing what o ne knows and what one does not know

忠信笃敬，上下同之，天之道也All people, whether superior or inferior, should b e abide by royalty, trustworthiness, sincerity and respectfulness, which is th e way of heaven

尊严而惮，可以为师；耆艾而信，可以为师；诵说而不陵不犯，可以为师；知微而论，可以为师；故师术有四，而博习不与焉He who is dignified and respectable can a teac her; he who is aged and trustworthy can be a teacher; he who can explain the c lassics without excess or distortion can be a teacher; he who knows the profun dity and speaks systematically can a teacher. Hence four kinds of men can make teachers, and a man with merely a broad knowledge is among them