| Proverbs |
Annotation
And Connotations |
A
clay idol of bodhisattva fording a river can hardly save itself, let
alone anyone else.
(Chinese
original:  Chinese Pinyin: Ni2 pu2sa4 guo4 he2, zi4shen1 nan2 bao3.) |
Bodhisattva
is believed to be an enlightened Buddhist god (goddess in Chinese beliefs)
who, out of compassion, forgoes nirvana in order to save others. However,
such a savior made in clay could save nobody on the other side of a
river as the water would soak and dissolve it. When one is in serious
trouble, he may not be able to save his own tail, let alone others'. |
A
clay figure fears rain; a lie fears truth.
(Chinese
original:  Chinese Pinyin: Ni2ren2 pa4 yu3, huang3yan2 pa4 li3.) |
|
- Would
rather be betrayed by others than betraying them.
(Chinese
original: 宁可负我，切莫负人 Chinese Pinyin: Ning4 ke3 fu4 wo3,
qie4 mo4 fu4 ren2.)
|
|
- Would
rather be a chicken's head than a phoenix's tail.
(Chinese
original: 宁做鸡头，不当凤尾 Chinese Pinyin: Ning4 zuo4 ji1 tou2
bu1 dang1 feng4 wei3.)
|
- A
head is a head and a tail is a tail. There are situations
where you would rather be somebody in a small institution
than a small potato of a large one.
|
