Chinese vs English Expressions I A blessing in disguise | 塞翁失马,焉知非福 | A hedge between, keep friendship green | 君子之交淡如水 | A promise is a promise | 一言既出,驷马难追 | A real man never goes back his words | Bad news travel fast | 好事不出们,坏事传千里 | Be a fence sitter/sit on the fence | 骑墙派 | Bend over backward to do something | 竭尽全力 | Bird of same feather flock together | 物以类聚,人以群分 | Filial piety | 孝顺 | Food is essential | 民以食为天 | Grass is greener on the other side of fence/mountain | 这山望那山高 | Have a foot in either camp | 脚踩两只船 | Jump the gun | 操之过急 | Look for fish in the woods | 缘木求鱼 | Man proposes, god disposes | 谋事在人,成事在天 | Nothing can be accomplished without norms and standards | 没有规矩,不成方圆 | Once on shore, one praises no more | 好了伤疤忘了痛 | Photographic memory | 过目不忘 | Rack one’s brain | 绞尽脑汁/搜肠刮肚 | Seeing is believing | 百闻不如一见 | Spare a rod, spoil a child | 三天不打,上房揭瓦 | Speak volume | 不言而明 | There are spots even on the sun | 金无赤足,人无完人 | This is no place like home | 金窝银窝,不如自己的狗窝 | Under the broad light/in the middle of the day | 光天化日之下 | Walk through fire | 赴汤蹈火 | We live and learn | 活到老,学到老 | Where there is a will, there is a way | 有志者,事竟成 | Where there is hope, there is life | 留得青山在,不愁没柴烧 | Wishful thinking | 如意算盘/痴心妄想 | |