| Proverbs |
Annotation
And Connotations |
- Never
harbor the intent to victimize others; but never let guard down against
being victimized.
(Chinese
original:  Chinese Pinyin: Hai4 ren2 zhi1 xin1 bu4 ke3 you3, fang2 ren2 zhi1 xin1
bu4 ke3 wu2.)
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- Learning
how the Handan residents walk.
(Chinese
original:  Chinese Pinyin: Han2dan1 xue2 bu4.)
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- A man
hated the way he walked and decided to learn how people in the city
of Handan carried themselves. The result was, however, not only did
he fail to learn the new style, but he also forgot his own way of walking.
He could only but crawl back to his hometown and became a laughing stock.
The moral is that one should use critical thinking rather than blindly
following others' models. Copying others without applying what is useful
to one's practical needs can only make things worse.
For a complete
story, please read my book Magic Lotus Lantern and Other Tales
of the Han Chinese, to be published in spring 2006 by Libraries
Unlimited. |
- Shoot
at someone's shadow with sand.
(Chinese
original: 含沙射影Chinese Pinyin: Han2 sha1 she4 ying3.)
|
- A fairytale
goes that a monster named Yu can make a person sick by shooting his
shadow with sand it picked up from a river bed. If a person is said
to do the trick, he is trying to frame someone while hiding himself
in the dark.
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- A
resourceful man knows to avoid a disadvantageous situation close at
hand.
(Chinese
original: 好看不吃眼前亏 Chinese Pinyin: Hao3 han4 bu4 chi1 yan3qian2 kui1.)
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- An unprepared
confrontation will only end up in one's defeat. In that situation, avoid
it
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- An
ambitious horse will never return to its old stable.
(Chinese
original:  Chinese Pinyin: Hao3 ma3 bu4 chi1 hui2 tou2 cao3.)
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A capable
employee never returns to the same employer after quiting him. |
A
crane standing amidst a flock of chickens.
(Chinese
original:  Chinese Pin yin: He4 li4 ji1qun2.) |
A
crane is too obvious when it stands among a flock of chickens and looks
very awkward. It is also true with a camel amidst a flock of sheep and
a flea when it stands on top of a hairless head. They all carry a pejorative
tone: the thing that out stands others is something awkward if not necessarily
bad. |
- A
fox borrows the tiger's might.
(Chinese
original:  Chinese Pinyin: Hu3 jia3 hu3 wei1.)
|
A fox caught
by a tiger struck an idea of survival. She led the tiger to parade among
the other animals, who of course scampered for life as they saw the tiger
coming. The fox, however, made the tiger believe that the animals feared
her instead. As a result, the tiger let the fox go. The proverb says of
a weaker soul borrowing a bigger one's might to accomplish something he
can't do otherwise.
For a complete
story, please read my book Magic Lotus Lantern and Other Tales
of the Han Chinese, to be published in spring 2006 by Libraries
Unlimited. |
- Swallow
a date with its stone.
(Chinese
original: 囫囵吞枣Chinese Pinyin: Hu2lun2 tun1 zao3.)
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- When
someone does this, he is said to read without understanding.
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- Vicious
as a tigress can be, she never eats her own cubs.
(Chinese
original: 虎毒不食子 Chinese Pinyin: Hu3 du2 bu4 shi2 zi3.)
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- Those
parents who hurt their children are worse than beasts of prey.
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- Survive
the Jaw of a Tiger.
(Chinese
original: 虎口余生Chinese Pinyin: Hu3 kou3 yu2 sheng1.)
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- Survive
great difficulties, dangers and illness.
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- A
tiger's head and a snake's tail.
(Chinese
original: 虎头蛇尾Chinese Pinyin: Hu3 tou2 she2 wei3.)
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- A good
beginning with a lousy ending.
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- Pluck
flowers as they bloom; wait and you'll have only the twigs.
(Chinese
original: 花开堪折只需折，莫待无花空折枝 Chinese Pinyin: Hua1 kai1 kan1 zhe2 zhi2 xu1
zhe2, mo4 dai4 wu2 hua1 kong1 zhe2 zhi1.)
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- Strike
the iron while it is hot. Seize the opportunity that comes by; do not
wait till it is gone.
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- A
fragrant bloom is not necessarily a beautiful flower; an orator may
not be a crackerjack.
(Chinese
original: Chinese Pinyin: Hua1 xiang1 bu4 yi2ding4 mei3li4,  neng2 shuo1 bu4 yi2ding4 hui4 zuo4.)
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Action
is better than oration. |
- Draw
a cake to satisfy one's hunger.
(Chinese
original:  Chinese Pinyin: Hua4 bing3 chong1 ji1.)
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- An unrealistic
solution to a problem serves no other purpose than self deception.
|
- Fill
in the eyes to a painted dragon.
(Chinese
original:  Chinese Pinyin: Hua4 long2 dian3 jing1.)
|
A
finishing touch. It is said that a famous Chinese painter painted four dragons
without eyes. When asked, he explained that with eyes they would fly away.
Incredulous, his friends insisted on his filling in the eyes. Sure enough,
as soon as the painter added eyes to two of the dragons, they started flying
away. This proverb is most often used to describe a situation where one
who uses succinct remarks to summarize the gist of an article or a speech. |
- Add
legs to the snake one has just painted.
(Chinese
original:  Chinese
Pinyin: Hua4 she2 tian1 zu2.)
|
- Do something
that is totally unnecessary and spoil what you already have done.
|
- Walk
sidewise and block the way.
(Chinese
original: 横行霸道 Chinese Pinyin: Heng2 xing2 ba4 dao4.)
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- When
one does this, his playing the tyrant.
|
A
dream that lasts merely a millet soup's cooking time.
(Chinese
original:  or  Chinese Pinyin: Huang2liang2 yi1 meng4 or Yi1 zhen3 huang2liang2.) |
Some
got a magic pillow and dreamed all the happiness a human being could think
of, but upon his awakening, he realized that the pot of millet soup was
not yet ready next door. The proverb is akin to "day dreaming"
- a fond hope that can never materialize. |
- Fish
in muddled water.
(Chinese
original:  Chinese Pinyin: Hun2 shui3 mo1 yu2.)
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- Take
the advantage of a confused situation to make personal gains.
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- Add
oil to a flame.
(Chinese
original:  Chinese Pinyin: Huo3 shang4 jiao1 you2.)
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Add fuel to a flame |
- Disasters
never come alone.
(Chinese
original:  Chinese Pinyin: Huo4 bu4 dan1 xing2.)
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- Talking
of extremely bad luck. Similar to "Misery loves company.
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- A
good fortune may forebode a bad luck, which may in turn disguise a good
fortune.
(Chinese
original:  Chinese Pinyin: Huo4 xi1 fu2 suo3 yi1, fu2 xi1 huo4 suo3 yi1.)
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- Do not
over rejoice over good fortune and be over dejected by a mishap. There
are always the unforeseeable turns for the better or worse.
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