中国谚语翻译 Popular chinese expressions

谚语/直译（Transliterated and/or Literal Translation）/意译（Figurative translation）1. 天下無不散之筵席/ There is no never ending banquet under the sun./ All good things must come to an end.or The best of friends must part.2. 五十步笑百步/ The (soldier who retreated ) 50 paces jeered at the onewho (retreated) 100 paces./ The pot calls the kettle black.3. 當局者迷/ The participant's perspective are clouded while the bystanders' views are clear./ You can't see the forest for the trees ,but onlookers see the whole game.4. 塞翁失馬 / The squire at the frontier lost his horse. (The horseeventually came back bringing some other horses with it.)/This expression has its origin in a Chinese fable. See e.g. (From the Chinavista website)Chinese Fable#6 Blessing or BaneCertain bad luck is actually "a blessing in disguise."5. 各花入各眼/ Different flowers look good todifferent people/ Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.6.. 禍不單行/ Good luck seldom comes in pairs but bad things never walk (occur) alone./ Misery loves company.7. 以毒攻毒/ Fight poison with poison/ Fight fire with fire.8. 花開堪折直需折 / Pick the flower when it is ready to be picked . /Gather ye rosebuds while ye may.9. 歲月不留人 / Age and time do not wait for people./ Time and tide waitsfor no man.10. 家家有一本難念的經/ Each family has its own difficult scripture (or sutra) to recite./ Each family has its own kind of hell.11. 虎父虎子/ Tiger father begets tiger son/ A chip off the old block.12. 人算不如天算 / Man's schemes are inferior to those made by heaven/ Man proposes and god disposes.13. 有錢能使鬼推磨 / If you have money you can make the ghosts and devilsturn your grind stone./ Money makes the world go around.Or: Money talks.14. 好事多磨 / Good (happenings, results, achievements etc..) must go through many trials and tribulations/ The course of true love never runs smooth.15. 盜亦有道 / Transliteration: (Even) Theives have "their (own) way/codeof behaviour" (Tao) /The "their way " (Way=Tao) can be interpreted in different ways,the most general being "Even thieves have their principles."Another interpretation is :"even the bad guys have a conscience".So, could this also mean "There is honour amongst thieve" ?. Well, arecent "Time essay" in Time's magazine seems to imply it does.Time Essay, by James Poniewozik. Page 64. Time magazine, Canadian Edition. June 24,2002."They held up the myths of honor among thieves-we don't sell drugs, wedon't kill civilians...."16. 大丈夫能屈能伸 / A great (or successful) man can bend and stretch./ A man must learn to sail in all winds.17. 不入虎穴,焉得虎子 / If you don't go into the cave of the tiger, howare you going to get its cub ?/ Nothing ventured, nothing gained.18. 又要馬兒好,又要馬兒不食草 / You want you horse to look good but you also want it not to have to eat grass./ Want to have your cake and eat ittoo.(Implying: You cannot have your cake and eat it too.)19. 無風不起浪 / There is no wave without wind./ There is no smoke without fire.20. 入鄉隨俗 / Follow the local custom when you go to a foreign place./ In Rome do as the Romans do.21. 物以類聚 / Things of the same characteristics congregate together./Birds of a feather flocks together.Or: Like attracts22. . 醉翁之意不在酒 / The drunken gentleman's desire is not about the wine./ Kissing the baby for the nurse (or nanny).23. 牛不飲水,不能按牛頭低 / You cannot push a cow's head down unless it isdrinking water by it's own will./ You can lead a horse to water, but youcan't make him drink.24. 驕兵必敗 / The arrogant (or over-confident) army will lose the battlefor sure./ Pride goes before a fall.25. 一箭雙雕 / Shoot two birds (geese , wild foul, whatever) with onesingle arrow./ Kill two birds with one stone.26. 本性難移 / It's is impossible to change your basic characteristics./ A leopard cannot change its spots.Or: Old habits die hard.27. 三個和尚擔水無粥食 / 3 monks fetching water resulted in no rice gruel (to eat.)/ Too many cooks spoil the broth.28. 一將功成萬骨枯 / Tens of thousands of bones will become ashes when one general achieves his fame./ What thousands must die so that Caesar may become great.28. 一刻被蚊咬終日怕蚊叮 / Once bitten by a mosquito, you worry about mosquitoes all day. /(Another version)Once bitten by a snake, you are even frightened by a rope that resembles a snake. Once bitten, twice shy.29. 金玉其外, 敗絮其中/ Golden coloured on the outside, but rotten inside. (This is from a fable ,"What the tangerine hawker said". The golden colour refers to the skinof the tangerine.) / All that glitters is not gold andbeware of the skeleton in the closet.30. 欲速則不達 / If you are in a hurry you will never get there./ More haste, less speed.31. 打鐵趁熱 / Strike while the iron is hot./ ditto32. 狡兔有三窟/ The crafty rabbit has three different entrances to it'slair/ Do not put all your eggs in one basket.33. 老婆是別人的靚 / Your neigbour's wife looks prettier than your own./ The grass is always greener on the other side of the fence.34. 女人心海底針 / A woman's heart is like a needle in the bottom of the ocean. A woman's heart is as deep as the ocean . (from the movie "Titanic")35. 以攻為守 / Use attack as the tactic of defense./ The best defense isan offense.36. 英雄所見略同 / The views (opinions) of heroes are roughly the same./Great minds think alike.37. 以身作則 / Set yourself as the standard/ Example is better thanprecept.38. 婚姻是戀愛的墳墓 / Matrimony is the grave of romance. /Marriage is thedeath of romance.39. 將軍難免陣上亡 / It is not unusual for a general to meet his death inbattle. There is the second line of a couplet. The first line says: Ahunting dog will eventually lost its life on the mountain. / Those wholived by the sword died by the sword.39b 上得山多終遇虎/ When you go up to the mountain too often, you willeventually encounter the tiger. / The fish which nibbles at every baitwill be caught.40. 玉不琢不成器,人不學不成才 / Jade (or precious stones) must be carvedand polished before it becomes an ornament, man must be educated before hecan achieve great things.41. 童言無欺 / A child's words have no guile./ Similar to: "from themouths of babes."42. 有麝自然香 / When you have musk, you will automatically have >fragrance. /Good stuff need not be advertised, they advertise themselves. Good wine needs no bush43. 夜長夢多 / Lots of dreams can occur over a long night. /The longer youwait, the more unexpected developments may occur.44. 遠水不能救近火 / You cannot fight a fire with water from faraway. /Urgent local problems cannot be solved by distant .resources.45. 狗口不出象牙 / Elephant tusks cannot grow out of a dog's mouth./ Nicethings (words) won't come from a bad source.46. 紙包不著火 / Paper cannot wrap up a fire./ You cannot cover up ascandal easily.As pointed out by Sparkler this is similar to the English proverbof "Murder will out."Or : Truth will out.47. 天下烏鴉一樣黑 / All crows are of the same colour (black) under the sky./ Crime; corruption; graft; favouritism; nepotism etc..is the same everywhere.48 為人不作虧心事,夜半敲門也不驚. / If you have a clear conscience,you won't worry about a knock on your door at night. /"do right and fearno man"Source : C-E language forum.(See Link in the Chinese page)Also similar to the English ProverbA quiet conscience sleeps in thunder.49. 樹大有枯枝,族大有乞兒 / Big trees have rotten branches and large clans have beggars. / There are always some dead wood within a large organization.There is a black sheep in every fold50a.猛虎不及地頭虫/ The fierce tiger is inferior to the local worm./ A superior force in a foreign and unfamiliar territory is inferior to aweaker but local force.50b 虎落平陽被犬欺./ When the tiger comes down from the mountain to the plains, it is bullied by the dogs / When you are out of your element, your power (or influence) is greatly diminished.This is similar to the English phrase " Like a fish out of water "50c. 龍游溗 晃r戲./ In shallow waters, shrimps make fool of dragons. /similar to 50 b above.51.趕狗入窮巷/ Don't chase a dog into a blind ally./ ergo, it will have no choice but to make a desperate stand and attack you.52a.樹大召風/ Big trees attract strong wind.(see 52b) /see #52b below52b.人怕名﹐豬怕壯/ Men should worry about fame just as pigs about being fat. /When you are big and/or famous you are more of a target for attack, jealousy etc.. ( Fat pigs , you guessed it, areheaded for the dinning table.)53. 忠言逆耳, 良藥苦口./ Honest opinions (suggestions, criticisms) goagainst your ear while good medicine tastes bitter./ "What hurts usinstructs us."54. 巧婦難為無米灶./ Even the most resourceful housewife cannot create miracles from a riceless pantry./ When you are poor and have no food, eventhe craftiesthousewife cannot produce a meal.55.井底蛙之見 /The view of a frog residing at the bottom of a well.This expression is also originated from a Chinese fable. See e.g.( fromthe Chinavista website)Chinese Fable#2: Frog at the bottom of a shallow wellSimilar but not identical to the phrase "Tunnel vision."In the "frog" case, the frog has a very limited knowledge of what theoutside world is like, but think that it knows everything there is toknow.In the case of "tunnel vision", we have some one whose view is "narrow and limited". So although the two are not exactly identical, there are ;some common aspects between them.56.十隻手指各有長短./ Ten fingers. all of different lengths. /There arealways good and bad(attributes, characteristics etc..)within a group (of things, people, whatever..).57 書中自有顏如玉,書中自有黃金屋/In textbooks you will find girls with complexions like jade and houses made of gold./ Through studying you willgain success and fortunes will follow.58. 種瓜得瓜, 種豆得豆/ If you plant melons , you get melons; if you plant beans, you get beans./ you reap what you sow.59. 冰生于水已寒於水,青出于?#123;已勝於?#123;/ Indigo is derived from blue but is more pleasing than blue; ice is formed out of water but is colderthan water /The master is surpassed by the apprentice.60a. 三個臭皮丈,一個諸葛亮/ Three shoemakers equal to one Kuon Ming /Kuon Ming is the legendary strategist in the Chinese historic period known as "The Three Kingdoms " period. This proverbs says that 3 ordinary peopleputting their heads together can come up with good ideas.(see 60b)60b. 一人計短,二人計長./ Literally: One person's plans(or schemes) areshort(i.e. ineffective)but those made by two people are long (i.e. much头衔：再见，我的大学性别：加入时间：2004-09-27经验值：37,103灌水：31,874职务：舰长荣誉：2005年年度优秀版主2006年年度优秀版主2007年年度优秀版主61 覆水難收 /Water thrown out is hard to put back into thecontainer. /What is done cannot be undone.62. 一言(已)出,駟馬難追. /Once a word leaves your mouth, you cannot chaseit back even with a "chariot drawn by 4 horses." /You cannot take backwhat you have said.Similar to : A word spoken is past recalling.Or: A slip of tongue cannot be recalled.Or: A word once let go cannot be recalled.63. 病從口入,禍從口出 /Sickness goes in through the mouth and troublecomes out of the mouth. /physical illness is usually caused by somethingyou eat or inhale but trouble is usually caused by what you say.( Carelesstalk leads to trouble.)64. 樹高千丈﹐落葉巋根 /Even for a tree of 10000 feet, it's leaves returnto the root when they fall. /Many older people, no matter how far theyroam, or how successful they become, want to go back to their homeland topass their remaining years.65 路遙知馬力﹐日久見人心/ When there is a lot of distance to cover, ;you'll know how good your horse is.The heart of others will be revealedover a long period of time. /A hard task separates the weak from thestrong and time will tell the truthful from the guile.66. 有心栽花花不長, 無心插柳柳成蔭 / The flower that you spent time tocare for does not grow while the willow that your accidentally plantedflourishes and gives shade.A nice one:"A watched flower never blooms, while a carelessly planted willow growsinto shade. " As seen on the CE Forum /Sometimes what we wanted to spend time on developing does not work outwell, but the project we have unintentionally started, and did not paymuch attention to, flourishes and bears fruit.67。