正文
蛇译《增广贤文》
昔时贤文，诲汝谆谆，集韵增文，多见多闻。
From the good olden days come these rules golden,
Unto which many a sage's pithy sayings are woven.
Rhymed or not, they are hereby collected and expanded -
May they now enrich your lives and broaden your horizon.
观今宜鉴古，无古不成今。
Learn from history to be an observant student of current affairs;
After all, yesterday’s current affairs are today’s history.
知己知彼，将心比心。
Know whom we deal with, both close-by friends and far-away foes;
Act with passion and consideration - we are more alike than different.
酒逢知己饮，诗向会人吟。
Share a drink with soul mates, who understand us by heart;
Sing to seasoned rhyme-makers, who appreciate a good verse.
相识满天下，知心能几人。
One may have numerous acquaintances scattered around the world,
But how many of them does one count as true friends?
相逢好似初相识，到老终无怨恨心。
True friends one never tires of seeing; next meeting will be just like
The first, and never a complaining word on the shared journey through hunger and thirst.
近水知鱼性，近山识鸟音。
Living close to water, by and by one gets to know the fish;
Making frequent trips to the mountains, one learns to hum the birds’ tunes.
易涨易退山溪水，易反易覆小人心。
Flash water comes and goes in an instant;
The petty-minded one shuns for their nature flippant.
运去金成铁，时来铁似金，读书须用意，一字值千金。
In bad times, treasure turns into trash;
In times good, trash turns into treasure.
You up-and-comers, apply yourselves to studies,
For the only treasure is knowledge in disguise, in times good or bad.
逢人且说三分话，未可全抛一片心。
Think again when you next time feel the urge to pour out to strangers;
More often than not, a casual chat suffices to keep up appearances.
有意栽花花不发，无心插柳柳成阴。
Pretty flowers are finicky, denying the hardest-working florist the desired fruits of her love of labor;
Willows Wild, on the other hand, flourish in the least expected places, with little nurture.
画虎画皮难画骨，知人知面不知心。
Tiger-painters often end up with paintings only resembling the object;
When the task is to know a fellow human being, how much better can one expect?
钱财如粪土，仁义值千金。
Wealth is nothing but a pile of dirt;
For virtues, the wise is only too willing to part with his golden shirt.
流水下滩非有意，白云出岫本无心。
Water rushing down the rapids does so not out of its own volition;
Just as mindless are the white clouds emerging from the misty valleys in slow motion.
当时若不登高望，谁信东流海洋深。
Until he set foot on the mountain top overlooking the river traveling east,
That the sea it joined ran deep he did not believe the least.
路遥知马力，事久见人心。
Distance tests a horse’s staying power;
Time reveals men’s true character.
两人一般心，无钱堪买金，一人一般心，有钱难买针。
Pulling together, a poverty-stricken couple can afford luxurious amenities;
Each to his/her own, once-wealthy, another couple will soon have to beg for necessities.
相见易得好，久住难为人。
It is easy for perfect strangers to be friends for one day;
After some time under the same roof, whether or not they remain friends is harder to say.
马行无力皆因瘦，人不风流只为贫。
Horses collapse on the wayside due to malnutrition;
Men fall short on popularity because of their destitute condition.
饶人不是痴汉，痴汉不会饶人。
He is nobody’s fool who lets bygones be bygones;
He who takes his grudges to the grave is a real fool.
是亲不是亲，非亲却是亲。
Strange is when kinfolk act like perfect strangers,
And perfect strangers move you more than family members.
美不美，乡中水，亲不亲，故乡人。
Sweet is the water from the village well;
Endearing is a familiar face on foreign soil.
莺花犹怕春光老，岂可教人枉度春。
If the streetwalkers still fret over their dwindling good looks,
Should not everyone else hurry to hit the books?
相逢不饮空归去，洞口桃花也笑人。
Let others be the laughingstock of the peach blossom host;
I am determined to celebrate our reunion by downing one more toast.
红粉佳人休使老，风流浪子莫教贫。
Young beauties, spare no effort to deter the unwelcome signs of old age;
Note those prodigals – once their family fortunes are gone, they are no freer than birds in the cage.
在家不会迎宾客，出外方知少主人。
Hosting skills are picked up at home at parents’ behest;
Away from home, one is left to fend as he can best.
黄金无假，阿魏无真。
What is real cannot be faked;
What is fake can never be real.
客来主不顾，应恐是痴人。
All guests deserve the highest respect;
Treating them equally with decorum requires no tact.
贫居闹市无人问，富在深山有远亲。
A penniless soul in the city has only his shadow to keep him company;
A wealthy kin hidden deep in the mountains lacks no sycophancy.
谁人背后无人说，哪个人前不说人。
It is a fairy who leaves nothing behind for others to gossip about;
He is a sage who, however tempted, resists gossiping about others.
有钱道真语，无钱语不真。
True, at the right price, truth can be extracted from a reluctant mouth;
Nevertheless, words from those who can be bought are not to be trusted.
不信但看筵中酒，杯杯先劝有钱人。
For proof that money has its own worshippers, look no further than the banquet table – where it is always the wealthy to whom others flock to propose toast after toast.
闹里有钱，静处安身。
Bustling locales are where one heads in search of riches;
Where quietness prevails offers one hiding niches.
来如风雨，去似微尘。
Sickness is deceiving in that it rolls in with a thunder and leaves without so much as a murmur;
It so appears only because one chooses to overlook all warning signs when the sickness started manifesting itself in a tremor.
长江后浪推前浪，世上新人赶旧人。
In the Yangtze, trailing ones push along the preceding waves;
In worldly affairs, up-comers race to replace the old knaves.
近水楼台先得月，向阳花木早逢春。
Water-butting pavilions are the first to greet the rising moon;
East-facing flowers get an early-start to welcome spring.
莫道君行早，更有早行人。
Think not you have started off the day’s travel early enough;
Look ahead – long before you, others have hit the road when the dewdrops were still hanging thick on the bough.
莫信直中直，须防仁不仁。
Take truth presented with even the utmost sincerity with a grain of salt;
Masked as kindness, unkindness trips the unsuspecting without fail.
山中有直树，世上无直人。
A trip to the mountains finds many a tree with a rule-straight trunk;
In the real world as upright a folk is often nothing but bunk.
自恨枝无叶，莫怨太阳偏。
If one finds himself scorched like a leaf-less tree by a punishing sun,
Assign not blame to the sun’s discriminating viciousness.
大家都是命，半点不由人。
Fate is blind.
一年之计在于春，一日之计在于寅，
一家之计在于和，一生之计在于勤。
Spring is the time to plan for the year;
When the day is still young, think about when day-end is near.
Harmony in the family leads to happiness and prosperity,
When coupled with individual application and perspiration.
责人之心责己，恕己之心恕人。
Criticize oneself as one would criticize others;
Forgive others as one would forgive oneself.
守口如瓶，防意如城。
It takes a small effort to guard one’s ill-conceived words from slipping;
It is a much greater undertaking to guard one’s thoughts from straying.
宁可人负我，切莫我负人。
Let me be at the receiving end of injustice;
Just let me be not indefensible when called to face justice.
再三须慎意，第一莫欺心。
Of all cautions, the first and foremost one should heed is never engage in self-deception.
虎生犹可近，人熟不堪亲。
A long-time acquaintance can be more deadly than a stranger tiger.
来说是非者，便是是非人。
The very bearer of relationship-wrecking tidings is himself a relationship-wrecker to be shunned at all cost.
远水难救近火，远亲不如近邻。
Water from a distant source is no help to a fire roaring nearby;
Kinship far away is no match of next-door neighbors when emergencies strike.
有茶有酒多兄弟，急难何曾见一人。
When tea and wine flow free, everyone is a brother;
In emergencies, a lesser friendship’s answer is “don’t bother.”
人情似纸张张薄，世事如棋局局新。
Choose friends wisely – most relationships are paper-thin;
Treat life as a chess game – unexpected moves are only to be expected.
山中也有千年树，世上难逢百岁人。
In remote mountains, trees routinely thrive even after their 1000th year;
Humans, enduring wear and tear, seldom last beyond the century mark.
力微休负重，言轻莫劝人。
The weak is best to avoid heavy-lifting;
The light-weighted is best to avoid advice-gifting.
无钱休入众，遭难莫寻亲。
In poverty, stay away from high society;
In need, steer clear of kinship.
平生莫作皱眉事，世上应无切齿人。
He who lives by the golden rules has no enemies.
士者国之宝，儒为席上珍。
Intellectuals are a country’s invaluable asset;
A scholar’s very presence commands respect.
若要断酒法，醒眼看醉人。
The best recipe for quitting drinking lies in the eyes of a sober man looking over a drunkard.
求人须求大丈夫，济人须济急时无。
Seek help only from the willing and generous;
Dispense succor to the needy in emergencies.
渴时一滴如甘露，醉后添杯不如无。
A drop of water tastes supreme to the thirsty;
A toast beyond drunkenness is best left unproposed.
久住令人贱，频来亲也疏。
Nothing cheapens friendship faster than overstaying one’s welcome;
Frequent visits with kinship turn close relations into strangers.
酒中不语真君子，财上分明大丈夫。
The honorable scandalizes not;
The upright embezzles not.
出家如初，成佛有余。
Set you mind to a goal and persevere,
And it shall be only a matter of time when you will get there.
积金千两，不如明解经书。
A thorough understanding of the Classics is worth more than a thousand ounces of gold.
养子不教如养驴，养女不教如养猪。
An uneducated son is no better than an ass;
An uneducated daughter is no better than a pig.
仓廪虚兮岁月乏，子孙愚兮礼义疏。
Life has something wanting when the granary is depleted;
Upbringing has something lacking when the offspring is uneducated.
同君一席话，胜读十年书。
Why lock yourself up in a study for years when you can gain the same enlightenment by conversing with a learned man?
人不通今古，马牛如襟裾。
An unlearned man is not much better than a suited-up beast.
茫茫四海人无数，哪个男儿是丈夫。
Of the myriads of human beings all over the world, how many are true heroes?
白酒酿成缘好客，黄金散尽为收书。
A good home-brewed wine is for entertaining distinguished guests;
A well-spent wealth is one dispensed to satisfy knowledge quest.
救人一命，胜造七级浮屠。
Save a life and you are in high heavens.
城门失火，殃及池鱼。
Doomed are the fish that live in the pond just outside a burning city’s gate.
庭前生瑞草，好事不如无。
What with well-foreboding blades growing in the courtyards! - let others have all the omens;
I myself am quite content to have none of the nonsense.
欲求生富贵，须下死工夫。
If you ever dream about riches from rags,
Know that applying oneself is the only practical path.
百年成之不足，一旦败之有余。
It takes hundreds of years to build something truly great;
To destroy it, an instant is more than needed.
人心似铁，官法如炉。
An individual is no match of the law.
善化不足，恶化有余。
Do good and stop not;
Quit evil and continue to mend.
水太清则无鱼，人至察则无徒。
Clear water spawns no fishesl
In recruiting followers, a sage has only unfulfilled wishes.
知者减半，省者全无。
Only half of us are above average;
The perfect, none.
在家由父，出家从夫。
A daughter defers to his father until she marries, when she defers to her husband.
痴人畏妇，贤女敬夫。
A foolish man lets his wife get the better of him;
A wise woman humors her husband’s whim.
是非终日有，不听自然无。
No use to fight gossips – they are indeed everywhere;
Stay unswayed, and they are as good as heard nowhere.
宁可正而不足，不可邪而有余。
Strive to be upright, and if you end up short, so be it;
Don’t be tempted by evil, less you regret later, when it is too late.
宁可信其有，不可信其无。
Prepare for the worst, and hope for the best.
竹篱茅舍风光好，道院僧堂终不如。
A family life lived in a lean-to beats a cloistered withdrawal from worldly affairs all the time.
命里有时终须有，命里无时莫强求。
What is yours will come to you by natural course;
What is not yours cannot taken by force.
道院迎仙客，书堂隐相儒。
Established abbeys welcome those pursuing other-worldly goals;
Gentlemen’s studies hide learned scholars worthy of lofty posts.
庭栽栖凤竹，池养化龙鱼。
Phoenixes nest high on the bamboos in the courtyard;
Palace-worthy fishes lend their touch of elegance by gracing the pond.
结交须胜己，似我不如无。
Make friends of only those who are one’s superior;
After all, one gains little by looking at one’s reflection in the mirror.
但看三五日，相见不如初。
A few days is all it takes for one to overstay one’s welcome.
人情似水分高下，世事如云任卷舒。
All relationships are not the same, some more substantial than others;
Once well-versed in worldly affairs, come what may, one can handle with ease.
会说说都是，不会说无礼。
The glib get away with the crude;
The tongue-tied is chastised for being rude.
磨刀恨不利，刀利伤人指。
求财恨不得，财多害自己。
The knife-sharpener sharpens the knife only to nib his finger;
The riches-seeker hunts for wealth only to harm his wellbeing.
知足常足，终身不辱。
知止常止，终身不耻。
Know when you have had your fill and ask for no more, you live a life both wholesome and pleased;
Know when you have reached the limit and push no more, you leave behind a reputation pure and distinguished.
有福伤财，无福伤己。
Consider yourself fortunate if you suffered only material losses;
Much worse you would have been should physical harm have resulted.
差之毫厘，失之千里。
Inches missed, miles apart resulted.
若登高必自卑，若涉远必自迩。
One scales great heights by placing himself at the foot of the peaks;
One goes places by not thinking himself above trivial travails.
三思而行，再思可矣。
A good execution trumps a perfect plan.
使口不如自走，求人不如求己。
God helps those who help themselves.
小时是兄弟，长大各乡里。
Siblings grow apart;
Friends travel afar.
妒财莫妒食，怨生莫怨死。
One may hate wealth, but not food;
One may complain about living, but not death.
人见白头嗔，我见白头喜。
多少少年亡，不到白头死。
While others dread old age, I am only too happy to see my hair turns salt and peppery;
Just think, many of our brethren die young and never reach old age!
墙有逢，壁有耳。
Beware of eavesdroppers.
好事不出门，恶事传千里。
Good news travels slowly;
Bad news travels only fast.
贼是小人，知过君子。
Hooligans never outgrow their small-mindedness;
Gentlemen learn from their imperfections.
君子固穷，小人穷斯滥也。
Gentlemen never compromise their character because of poverty;
The same cannot be said of the petty-minded.
贫穷自在，富贵多忧。
When one is poor, he often is worry-free; yet when he comes into wealth, he loses his birthright to a quiet night’s sleep.
不以我为德，反以我为仇。
Kindness sometimes is paid back with hatred.
宁向直中取，不可曲中求。
Engage in life’s pursuits by just means;
Ill-gotten gains will find a way back to haunt you.
人无远虑，必有近忧。
Long-term plans help stave off imminent worries.
知我者为我心忧，不知我者谓我何求。
Those who share my ideals pray for my success;
Others accuse me of ulterior motives.
晴天不肯去，只待雨淋头。
Make hay while the sun shines.
成事莫说，覆水难收。
When you have accomplished something, enjoy a quiet moment of celebration;
You never know, but envious minds may make you regret your revelation.
是非只为多开口，烦恼皆因强出头。
From gossiping springs many a trouble;
To avoid headaches, refrain to run when you can only wobble.
忍得一时之气，免得百日之忧。
An ounce of temperance in time saves many troubles down the road.
近来学得乌龟法，得缩头时且缩头。
Why are not men as smart as the turtle, who knows not to stick its head out when it sees trouble?
惧法朝朝乐，欺公日日忧。
Abide by the law, and live a happy and contented life;
Go your crooked ways, and every night will be a sleepless night.
人生一世，草生一春。
Life is short – make the most of it.
黑发不知勤学早，看看又是白头翁。
When one is still young, he does not know the importance of getting a head start with his education;
When he finally realizes that something is amiss, it is only too late – white hair is already creeping up his elevation.
月到十五光明少，人到中年万事休。
After the second quarter, the moon reflects a glimmer light by the night;
Past midlife, one may as well kiss his life-dreams good-bye.
儿孙自有儿孙福，莫为儿孙作马牛。
Worrying about the offspring is often a hopeless undertaking,
Instead, why not have faith in providence: each is worthy only what he is making.
人生不满百，常怀千岁忧。
Men seldom live beyond the century mark;
Yet they constantly worry about things ten times as afield in life’s park.
今朝有酒今朝醉，明日愁来明日忧。
Carpe diem - make haste and make merry!
If tomorrow shall bring worries, pray let they spoil not my high spirits now and here.
路逢险处难回避，事到头来不自由。
Faced with a dilemma, back-pedaling is seldom is an option;
Freedom is something one creates by not getting into an impossible situation.
药能医假病，酒不解真愁。
If medicine can sometimes treat maladies out of stories,
Spirits are hardly the right remedy for genuine worries.
人贫不语，水平不流。
Poverty-shy souls keep their mouths shut;
Still water goes nowhere - up not and down not.
一家有女百家求，一马不行百马忧。
A hundred suitors go after one prize daughter is announced to be waiting (in the wings);
A hundred other horses become concerned when one star performer goes missing.
有花方酌酒，无月不登楼。
Flowers in bloom call for a feast of appreciation;
A full moon calls for a night out star-gazing.
三杯通大道，一醉解千愁。
Three shots deliver you to enlightenment;
A blackout sends a thousand worries to oblivion.
深山毕竟藏猛虎，大海终须纳细流。
A mountain knows it has its name made when the fierce tiger calls it home;
A sea abides its time for recognition while accommodating every tributary coming to join its cause.
惜花须检点，爱月不梳头。
Embrace love and be respectful;
Appreciate beauty and be yourself.
大抵选他肌骨好，不擦红粉也风流。
Natural beauties need no cosmetics.
受恩深处宜先退，得意浓时便可休。
Grace is showing gratitude at the receiving end of great kindness;
Achievement is success celebrated with little fanfare.
莫待是非来入耳，从前恩爱反为仇。
Marital bliss is best protected by turning a deaf ear to gossips.
留得五湖明月在，不愁无处下金钩。
As long as the bright moon is sound and safe on the Five Lakes,
One needs not worry about his angling days being numbered.
休别有鱼处，莫恋浅滩头。
The fisherman drops his anchor wherever fishes gather;
He gathers his gear to move on whenever, due to water becoming shallow, fishes scatter.
去时终须去，再三留不住。
All good things come to an end.
忍一句，息一怒，饶一着，退一步。
Leave one agitated word unsaid;
Even instigated, keep one temper checked.
Forgive one move that offends;
Take one step back, however hurried.
三十不豪，四十不富，五十将来寻死路。
At thirty, it is time to reign in ambitions;
At forty, time to stop pining for unrealized wealth dreams;
And at fifty, time to make time for planning for when one is no longer breathing.
生不论魂，死不认尸。
Living, refrain from talking about the dead;
In death, what cares what becomes of the ashes in the shed.
父母恩深终有别，夫妻义重也分离。
Parental love, however tender, could see one only so far;
Marital commitment sometimes also comes to an end.
人生似鸟同林宿，大限来时各自飞。
Like the birds, we all happen to rest in the same woods on this night;
When the time comes, in different directions we hesitate not to scatter and flight.
人善被人欺，马善被人骑。
The unassertive folks get picked on;
The submissive horses get ridden on.
人无横财不富，马无野草不肥。
Windfalls make a person rich;
Extra fodder keeps a horse in shape.
人恶人怕天不怕，人善人欺天不欺。
The ultimate judge sees all and discriminates against none.
善恶到头终有报，只争来早与来迟。
Justice is blind – the day of reckoning comes for all.
黄河尚有澄清日，岂可人无得运时。
If the Yellow River has its clear-water days,
One surely needs not worry that his time will never come.
得宠思辱，安居虑危。
When in favor, plan for when being out of favor;
When in safety, mull over every potential danger.
念念有如临敌日，心心常似过桥时。
Leave out of sight no vulnerabilities from enemy attacks;
Leave out of mind no precautions about walking on a bridge.
英雄行险道，富贵似花枝。
Heroes become heroes by risking theirs lives in doing what they do;
As flowers are ephemeral, wealth can vanish without so much a warning as an a-chou.
人情莫道春光好，只怕秋来有冷时。
Relationships are like the season –
There are times good and bad, warm and cold.
送君千里，终须一别。
I could have waited after traveling the first thousand miles with you;
Yet since parting ways is evitable, I might as well say good-bye here and now.
但将冷眼看螃蟹，看你横行到几时。
Allow me to sit on the sidelines watching with a disinterested eye;
Sooner rather than later, the day of reckoning will come for you, too, albeit so far you have only been riding high!
见事莫说，问事不知。
See things and say not a word;
Asked about things, you know not a thing.
闲事休管，无事早归。
Steer clear of whatever does not you concern;
Return home as soon as you have no more to learn.
假缎染就真红色，也被旁人说是非。
What is fake cannot be made real.
善事可作，恶事莫为。
Do good, and steer clear of evil.
许人一物，千金不移。
A promise made, a promise kept.
龙生龙子，虎生豹儿。
Like father, like son.
龙游浅水遭虾戏，虎落平阳被犬欺。
A fish out of water is no fish at all.
一举首登龙虎榜，十年身到风凰池。
十年窗下无人问，一举成名天下知。
Champions’ roads are paved with many years’ unacknowledged work.
酒债寻常行处有，人生七十古来稀。
Live debt-free, and you don’t have to pray for longevity.
养儿待老，积谷防饥。
Save for a rainy day.
鸡豚狗彘之畜，无失其时。
数家之口，可以无饥矣。
Plant by the season, grow by the day,
And you just have kept hunger at bay.
常将有日思无日，莫把无时当有时。
An unearned penny is a penny you don’t have for spending.
时来风送腾王阁，运去雷轰荐福碑。
Fate is chance, and chance is finicky.
入门休问荣枯事，观看容颜便得知。
Some may be better than others at hiding emotions;
All emotions, nevertheless, find a way to show on one’s face.
官清书吏瘦，神灵庙祝肥。
Judge an official by his clerks’ wellbeing;
Judge a worship house also by its clerks’ wellbeing.
息却雷霆之怒，罢却虎狼之威。
Thundering anger gets little accomplished;
Roaring show of power endears no one.
饶人算人之本，输人算人之机。
Forgive to cultivate character;
Compromise for greater gains.
好言难得，恶语易施。
It is so very difficult to earn a kind word but only too easy to dispense a hurtful one.
一言既出，驷马难追。
Watch your words – what is said can be retrieved.
道吾好者是吾贼，道吾恶者是吾师。
Beware of sabotage disguised in flatteries;
Welcome criticism meant to be correctives.
路逢侠客须呈剑，不是才人莫献诗。
Show respect to an oncoming martial artist by displaying your instrument;
Observe decorum by not flaunting your masterpiece poems to non-poets.
三人同行，必有我师，择其善者而从之，其不善者而改之。
One out of any three people is good enough to be one’s teacher. What one needs to do is learn from the good traits and check oneself against the bad ones that others exhibit.
少壮不努力，老大徒悲伤。
Failure to apply oneself in youth leads to regrets in old age.
人有善愿，天必佑之。
God forbid that bad things shall happen to good people.
莫饮卯时酒，昏昏醉到酉。
莫骂酉时妻，一夜受孤凄。
A few early-morning drinks lay waste to an entire day’s plan;
A light-headed spousal squabble ruins a full night’s sleep.
种麻得麻，种豆得豆。
We reap what we sow.
天眼恢恢，疏而不漏。
Justice may be delayed, but not denied.
见官莫向前，做客莫在后。
Avoid appearing to curry favor with officials;
Be among the first guests to pay respects to deserving hosts.
宁添一斗，莫添一口。
Go to a party invited only.
螳螂捕蝉，岂知黄雀在后。
The grasshopper preys on the unsuspecting cicada only to fall victim unawares to the calculating finch behind him.
不求金玉重重贵，但愿儿孙个个贤。
I ask not to be as rich as Bill Gates or Warren Buffett;
All I ever wish is to have Solomon-wise children and grandchildren.
一日夫妻，百世姻缘。
Seeds of marital bliss were sown a hundred lives earlier.
百世修来同船渡，千世修来共枕眠。
We have a hundred lives’ worth of karma to thank for our riding on the same ferry today;
For sleeping in the same bed tonight, that of a thousand lives.
杀人一万，自损三千。
Ten thousand kills on the enemy side are achieved at the cost of three thousand troops of one’s own.
伤人一语，利如刀割。
Unkind words can inflict as much as hurt as a knife wound.
枯木逢春犹再发，人无两度再少年。
Weather-flattened plants shall come to life again when spring returns;
One’s youth, once gone, is gone for good.
未晚先投宿，鸡鸣早看天。
Call for a hotel well before the sun sets;
Check the day’s weather as soon as the rooster stirs at the crack of dawn.
将相胸前堪走马，公候肚里好撑船。
People in high places did not get there for their small-mindedness.
富人思来年，穷人思眼前。
The rich can afford to plan for the distant future;
The financially-strapped have to cope with the present as best they can.
世上若要人情好，赊去物件莫取钱。
Small favors endear.
死生有命，富贵在天。
One cannot tamper with fate.
击石原有火，不击乃无烟。
Striking the flint properly produces sparks;
If you are yet to lift a finger, don’t complain about smokes not forthcoming.
为学始知道，不学亦徒然。
Knowledge comes from applying oneself to studying;
If one refuses to apply himself, surely nobody can force him to.
莫笑他人老，终须还到老。
但能依本分，终须无烦恼。
Hold your sniffing at the elderly until you yourself become old;
If you behave yourself, you will learn that aging is only natural.
君子爱财，取之有道。
贞妇爱色，纳之以礼。
Wealth is good, and the honest people earn it through honorable means;
Sex is desirable, and the virtuous ladies approach it with decorum.
善有善报，恶有恶报。
不是不报，日子不到。
Good deeds beget good karma, and bad deeds beget bad karma;
In due time, the karma principle never fails, or misses.
人而无信，不知其可也。
If and when one loses his credibility, he has lost it all.
一人道好，千人传实。
All wide-spread rumors start with one individual.
凡事要好，须问三老。
When in doubt, consult with the expert.
若争小可，便失大道。
To avoid being pound-foolish, steer clear of being penny-wise.
年年防饥，夜夜防盗。
Guarding against famine is a yearly business;
Guarding against burglary, a nightly affair.
学者如禾如稻，不学者如蒿如草。
The difference between with education and without education is the difference between staple plants and wild weeds.
遇饮酒时须饮酒，得高歌处且高歌。
There are occasions for drinking and there are occasions for singing.
因风吹火，用力不多。
One saves breath by letting the wind help him fan the fir.
不因渔父引，怎得见波涛。
Let the fisherman lead one to where the waves are.
无求到处人情好，不饮从他酒价高。
Relationships flourish when one makes no demands;
Non-drinkers cannot care less about sky-rocketing wine prices.
知事少时烦恼少，识人多处是非多。
Worries grow with responsibilities;
Disputes increase with relationships.
入山不怕伤人虎，只怕人情两面刀。
One dreads less fierce wild animals than double-dealing by the seemingly friendly.
强中更有强中手，恶人须用恶人磨。
Strongmen are strongmen only until they are bettered by yet stronger men;
Evil-doers only to doers of greater evil.
会使不在家豪富，风流不用着衣多。
Penny-pinchers don’t need a sizable family fortune to support a comfortable lifestyle;
Fashion greats don’t need a limitless wardrobe to buttress a personal style.
光阴似箭，日月如梭。
Time does not you or me wait.
天时不如地利，地利不如人和。
One can pray for favorable winds, one can play on geopolitical advantages, yet one’s most reliable help in any adventure remains to be cooperation from one’s corroborators.
黄金未为贵，安乐值钱多。
Contentedness is more precious than monetary wealth.
世上万般皆下品，思量唯有读书高。
Of all things obtainable under the sky, education tops them all in meaning and importance.
世间好语书说尽，天下名山僧占多。
All the great mountains are occupied by the monks;
All the pithy sayings are collected in the books.
为善最乐，为恶难逃。
It feels good to do good;
Guilt preys on conscience.
羊有跪乳之恩，鸦有反哺之义。
The lamb feeds at his mother’s breasts kneeling down;
The crow cares for its parents in old age by bringing them food.
你急他未急，人闲心不闲。
Anxiety does one little good when the time is not ripe;
Quiet preparation often accomplishes just as much.
隐恶扬善，执其两端。
Seeing others do good, help spread the word;
Hearing about others’ imperfections, let them go out through the other ear.
妻贤夫祸少，子孝父心宽。
A wise wife helps keep her husband out of trouble;
A filial son gives his sire comfort.
既坠釜甑，反顾无益。
翻覆之水，收之实难。
It is no use lamenting over broken pots or crying over spilt milk.
人生知足何时足，人老偷闲且是闲。
Abundance is what one thinks it is;
Leisure is when one makes time for leisure.
但有绿杨堪系马，处处有路透长安。
All roads lead to Rome.
见者易，学者难。
Easier said than done.
莫将容易得，便作等闲看。
Devil is in the detail.
用心计较般般错，退步思量事事难。
The pursuit of perfection gets one nowhere.
道路各别，养家一般。
We may apply our different trades, but we all are to make a living and to raise a family.
从俭入奢易，从奢入俭难。
It is sweet to be able to move up; it is hell to have to move down;
知音说与知音听，不是知音莫与弹。
Birds of the same feather flock together.
点石化为金，人心犹未足。
Greed is a bottomless pit.
信了肚，卖了屋。
One picks his own priority between the stomach and the roof.
他人观花，不涉你目。
他人碌碌，不涉你足。
To each his own.
(Mind one’s own business.)
谁人不爱子孙贤，谁人不爱千钟粟。
莫把真心空计较，五行不是这题目。
Everyone wishes his offspring were wise and well-educated;
Everyone hopes his household to be well-off and abundantly-provided.
Commonsense like this is granted to be universally true;
Should you wish not to waste time, debate on something more sophisticated.
与人不和，劝人养鹅。
与人不睦，劝人架屋。
A dispute can sometimes be settled amicably with a small gesture of kindness.
但行好事，莫问前程。
True charity needs no motivation.
河狭水急，人急计生。
Great ideas are born out of necessity.
明知山有虎，莫向虎山行。
Danger is no deterrent to heroism.
路不行不到，事不为不成。
All journeys start with the first step;
All edifices start with the first brick.
人不劝不善，钟不打不鸣。
Everyone could use a little counsel/edging from time to time.
无钱方断酒，临老始看经。
Last-resort solutions are seldom good solutions.
点塔七层，不如暗处一灯。
A small lantern in the dark looks brighter than a seven-storey tower of light.
万事劝人休瞒昧，举头三尺有神明。
Hide as one may, providence sees it all.
但存方寸土，留与子孙耕。
True legacy is not measured by size.
灭却心头火，剔起佛前灯。
A little spiritual life goes a long way to ease life’s disappointment.
惺惺常不足，懵懵作公卿。
The smart ones often wind up in want;
The dim ones sometimes luck up in high places
众星朗朗，不如孤月独明。
A night accompanied by a lone full-moon feels so much more beautiful than a starry sky.
兄弟相害，不如自生。
A brother at one’s throat is one sibling one could live without.
合理可作，小利莫争。
Do only what is right and concern oneself not with matters of little consequence.
牡丹花好空入目，枣花虽小结实成。
Peony flowers are pleasing to the eye, but little date buds bear fruits in time.
欺老莫欺小，欺人心不明。
Mistreating the little ones is worse than doing it to the elderly;
Mistreat none and one has a clear conscience.
随分耕锄收地利，他时饱满谢苍天。
Be content living off one’s own two hands tilling the land;
A life of no need and no want is a fulfilled and rewarding one, amen!
得忍且忍，得耐且耐。
不忍不耐，小事成大。
Wait for one’s turn, and abide one’s time,
Less a little impatience lead to things getting out of hand.
相论逞英雄，家计渐渐退。
Compete with one’s inner self to get ahead;
Not against fellow brethren only to beat oneself dead.
贤妇令夫贵，恶妇令夫败。
Behind every successful man is an equally successful woman.
一人有庆，兆民咸赖。
When mommy is not happy, nobody is happy.
(When the sovereign suffers, each and every one of her subjects suffers.)
人老心未老，人穷志莫穷。
Ambition discriminates against neither age nor economic status.
(If anything, one discriminates against himself when it comes to ambition.)
人无千日好，花无百日红。
All good things come to an end.
杀人可恕，情理难容。
There just is no justification for taking a life.
乍富不知新受用，乍贫难改旧家风。
If the new-riches often don’t know how to start a new lifestyle,
The new-poors are much harder-pressed to rid their old spendthrift ways.
座上客常满，樽中酒不空。
Guests fill up the seats at the table;
With the cellar well-stocked, wines flow free.
屋漏更遭连年雨，行船又遇打头风。
When it rains, it pours.
笋因落箨方成竹，鱼为奔波始化龙。
Every good thing comes to be at a cost.
记得少年骑竹马，看看又是白头翁。
It seems only yesterday when I was riding the rocking horse;
Now I see in the mirror an old man with peppery hair.
礼义生于富足，盗贼出于贫穷。
Virtues are often the luxury of the wealthy;
Many a thief owes his sticky fingers to poverty.
天上众星皆拱北，世间无水不朝东。
All the stars line up to the North Star;
All the rivers travel east to join the Great Sea.
君子安平，达人知命。
Life is about finding one’s rightful station.
忠言逆耳利于行，良药苦口利于病。
Good advice jars the ear;
Good medicine displeases the palate.
顺天者存，逆天者亡。
Obey Mother Nature and thrive;
Disobey Mother Nature and pay your own price.
人为财死，鸟为食亡。
Man fights to death for the last nugget of gold;
Birds fight to death for the last peck of food.
夫妻相合好，琴瑟与笙簧。
A well-suited couple is one that produces harmonies music like a pair of complementing musical instruments.
有儿贫不久，无子富不长。
With a male heir, poverty shall be only short-lived;
Without a male heir, wealth never lasts very long.
善必寿老，恶必早亡。
Benevolent souls live to old ages;
Evil-doers die young.
爽口食多偏作药，快心事过恐生殃。
Indulged with, delicious food turns into poison;
Celebrated without constraint, happy occasions lead to tragedy.
富贵定要安本分，贫穷不必枉思量。
In wealth, it is all the more important to observe high moral standards;
In poverty, it is likely unwise to fuss over formalities.
画水无风空作浪，绣花虽好不闻香。
Wind-whipped water in paintings makes only make-believe waves;
However eye-pleasing, embroidered flowers give out no fragrance.
贪他一斗米，失却半年粮。
争他一脚豚，反失一肘羊。
Penny-wise, pound-foolish.
龙归晚洞云犹湿，麝过春山草木香。
The presence of the truly great is still felt long after they are gone.
平生只会量人短，何不回头把自量。
When the pot calls the kettle black, it is time for the former to take a look in the mirror.
见善如不及，见恶如探汤。
Emulate others in doing good, and run from bad influence like retreating from scalding water.
人贫志短，马瘦毛长。
Financially-strapped folks cannot be very assertive;
Malnourished horses cannot be but in stubbly hair.
自家心里急，他人未知忙。
Worries are best kept close to one’s chest.
贫无达士将金赠，病有高人说药方。
If illness is mainly due to luck and often attracts charitable attention,
Poverty is often one’s own making and receives little sympathy.
触来莫与说，事过心清凉。
Refrain from sharing not spur-of-the-moment sentiments;
All too often, once the moment passes, one no longer feels the same.
秋至满山多秀色，春来无处不花香。
It is a beautiful season that pleases everyone.
凡人不可貌相，海水不可斗量。
One errs in rendering judgment by appearance only;
True greatness cannot be measured with ordinary means.
清清之水，为土所防。
济济之士，为酒所伤。
A handful of dirt can make a pail of clear water murky;
An undisciplined drop of alcoholic drink can lead an otherwise upright man astray.
蒿草之下，或有兰香。
茅茨之屋，或有侯王。
Right next to a bush of wild weeds may grow a precious fragrance;
Out of a humble abode may walk a man destined for high place.
无限朱门生饿殍，几多白屋出卿。
Many a grand mansion has seen starved bodies;
Many a humble abode has produced men bound for high posts.
醉后乾坤大，壶中日月长。
With a little help from alcohol, one sees the world with an entirely different perspective.
万事皆已定，浮生空白茫。
If all is predestined, surely no hustling of any kind can change anything.
千里送毫毛，礼轻仁义重。
It is the thought that counts.
一人传虚，百人传实。
Repeated a hundred times, a falsehood gains a ring of truth.
世事明如镜，前程暗似漆。
Perfect knowledge spoils a sense of adventure.
光阴黄金难买，一世如驹过隙。
Time is fair.
Life is short.
良田万倾，日食一升。
大厦千间，夜眠八尺。
You cannot take it with you.
(You cannot take your money to the grave.)
千经万典，孝义为先。
Of all the classics, the book of filial obligations comes first.
一字入公门，九牛拖不出。
Avoid lawsuits at all cost.
衙门八字开，有理无钱莫进来。
Justice is not blind – it favors the rich.
富从升合起，贫因不算来。
Frugal habits build wealth;
Poverty roots in carefree spending.
家中无才子，官从何处来。
The road to high places is built with education.
万事不由人计较，一生都是命安排。
Plot as one may, when it really matters, fate always seems to have the final say.
急行慢行，前程只有多少路。
On life’s journey, what matters is not how soon you get there but how you get there.
人间私语，天闻若雷。
暗室亏心，神目如电。
You may only whisper, yet the omni-prescient hears you loud and clear;
Your private trespass may be ever so slight, ye the omni-prescient sees it as in broad daylight.
一毫之恶，劝人莫作。
一毫之善，与人方便。
Refrain from doing the smallest evil, for the smallest evil is still evil;
Rush to aid the needy, who can use even the most trivial gesture of kindness.
欺人是祸，饶人是福。
Mistreating others invites retribution;
Forgiveness cultivates goodwill.
天眼恢恢，报应甚速
The day of reckoning comes quicker than one can blink an eye.
圣贤言语，神钦鬼伏。
The sages’ sayings represent the highest authority.
人各有心，心各有见。
Everyone carries his own head over his shoulders;
Everyone makes up his own mind.
口说不如身逢，耳闻不如目见。
Seeing is believing.
养军千日，用在一朝。
A thousand days’ upkeep of a military is justified by one day’s deployment.
国清才子贵，家富小儿骄。
In times of peace, talent is exalted;
In wealthy families, discipline is neglected.
利刀割体痕易合，恶语伤人恨不消。
Knife wounds heal easily;
Not so with hurts inflicted by vicious personal attacks.
公道世间唯白发，贵人头上不曾饶。
White hair is the only thing that is fair in this world,
Favoring not the celebrities with any less of it.
有钱堪出众，无衣懒出门。
Parading before the public is a business reserved for the rich;
With shy wallets, the poor need to be dragged to leave home.
为官须作相，及第必争先。
All officials aspire to the very top, which makes it all the more important to get a head start by out-competing fellow candidates at the initial selection.
苗从地发，树向枝分。
Plants sprout up from the ground;
Trees branch out from the trunk.
父子和而家不退，兄弟和而家不分。
It is a thriving household where father and son get along well;
It is a prosperous household (business) where siblings (partners) stand by one another.
官有正条，民有和约。
Officials pronounce regulations and policies;
Communities make pacts and covenants.
闲时不烧香，急时抱佛脚。
Eleventh-hour efforts don’t get one very far.
幸生太平无事日，恐逢年老不多时。
One is fortunate to be born in peacetime;
Friends wish to have met each other when they were still young.
国乱思良将，家贫思贤妻。
Generals are missed in times of political instability;
Wives are missed in times of financial stress.
池塘积水须防旱，田地勤耕足养家。
When the ponds are full, it is easy to forget there are days of drought;
As long as the land is diligently attended to, one needs not worry about being unable to feed a family.
根深不怕风摇动，树正无愁月影斜。
Buried deep in the ground, roots have no fear of the roaring winds;
Standing upright, trees cannot care less about the slanted shadows cast by the moon.
奉劝君子，各宜守己。
只此程式，万无一失。
You all praiseworthy readers, pray hear this respectful supplication:
Life is all about self-discipline, and stick to it we all must, regardless of our individual station.
Should we be wise enough to learn from the above pithy sayings reflecting life's golden rules,
At the end of life’s journey, however treacherous which may at times seem, we all shall be crowned with nothing but jewels.
昔时贤文，诲汝谆谆，集韵增文，多见多闻。
From the good olden days come these rules golden,
Unto which many a sage's pithy sayings are woven.
Rhymed or not, they are hereby collected and expanded -
May they now enrich your lives and broaden your horizon.
观今宜鉴古，无古不成今。
Learn from history to be an observant student of current affairs;
After all, yesterday’s current affairs are today’s history.
知己知彼，将心比心。
Know whom we deal with, both close-by friends and far-away foes;
Act with passion and consideration - we are more alike than different.
酒逢知己饮，诗向会人吟。
Share a drink with soul mates, who understand us by heart;
Sing to seasoned rhyme-makers, who appreciate a good verse.
相识满天下，知心能几人。
One may have numerous acquaintances scattered around the world,
But how many of them does one count as true friends?
相逢好似初相识，到老终无怨恨心。
True friends one never tires of seeing; next meeting will be just like
The first, and never a complaining word on the shared journey through hunger and thirst.
近水知鱼性，近山识鸟音。
Living close to water, by and by one gets to know the fish;
Making frequent trips to the mountains, one learns to hum the birds’ tunes.
易涨易退山溪水，易反易覆小人心。
Flash water comes and goes in an instant;
The petty-minded one shuns for their nature flippant.
运去金成铁，时来铁似金，读书须用意，一字值千金。
In bad times, treasure turns into trash;
In times good, trash turns into treasure.
You up-and-comers, apply yourselves to studies,
For the only treasure is knowledge in disguise, in times good or bad.
逢人且说三分话，未可全抛一片心。
Think again when you next time feel the urge to pour out to strangers;
More often than not, a casual chat suffices to keep up appearances.
有意栽花花不发，无心插柳柳成阴。
Pretty flowers are finicky, denying the hardest-working florist the desired fruits of her love of labor;
Willows Wild, on the other hand, flourish in the least expected places, with little nurture.
画虎画皮难画骨，知人知面不知心。
Tiger-painters often end up with paintings only resembling the object;
When the task is to know a fellow human being, how much better can one expect?
钱财如粪土，仁义值千金。
Wealth is nothing but a pile of dirt;
For virtues, the wise is only too willing to part with his golden shirt.
流水下滩非有意，白云出岫本无心。
Water rushing down the rapids does so not out of its own volition;
Just as mindless are the white clouds emerging from the misty valleys in slow motion.
当时若不登高望，谁信东流海洋深。
Until he set foot on the mountain top overlooking the river traveling east,
That the sea it joined ran deep he did not believe the least.
路遥知马力，事久见人心。
Distance tests a horse’s staying power;
Time reveals men’s true character.
两人一般心，无钱堪买金，一人一般心，有钱难买针。
Pulling together, a poverty-stricken couple can afford luxurious amenities;
Each to his/her own, once-wealthy, another couple will soon have to beg for necessities.
相见易得好，久住难为人。
It is easy for perfect strangers to be friends for one day;
After some time under the same roof, whether or not they remain friends is harder to say.
马行无力皆因瘦，人不风流只为贫。
Horses collapse on the wayside due to malnutrition;
Men fall short on popularity because of their destitute condition.
饶人不是痴汉，痴汉不会饶人。
He is nobody’s fool who lets bygones be bygones;
He who takes his grudges to the grave is a real fool.
是亲不是亲，非亲却是亲。
Strange is when kinfolk act like perfect strangers,
And perfect strangers move you more than family members.
美不美，乡中水，亲不亲，故乡人。
Sweet is the water from the village well;
Endearing is a familiar face on foreign soil.
莺花犹怕春光老，岂可教人枉度春。
If the streetwalkers still fret over their dwindling good looks,
Should not everyone else hurry to hit the books?
相逢不饮空归去，洞口桃花也笑人。
Let others be the laughingstock of the peach blossom host;
I am determined to celebrate our reunion by downing one more toast.
红粉佳人休使老，风流浪子莫教贫。
Young beauties, spare no effort to deter the unwelcome signs of old age;
Note those prodigals – once their family fortunes are gone, they are no freer than birds in the cage.
在家不会迎宾客，出外方知少主人。
Hosting skills are picked up at home at parents’ behest;
Away from home, one is left to fend as he can best.
黄金无假，阿魏无真。
What is real cannot be faked;
What is fake can never be real.
客来主不顾，应恐是痴人。
All guests deserve the highest respect;
Treating them equally with decorum requires no tact.
贫居闹市无人问，富在深山有远亲。
A penniless soul in the city has only his shadow to keep him company;
A wealthy kin hidden deep in the mountains lacks no sycophancy.
谁人背后无人说，哪个人前不说人。
It is a fairy who leaves nothing behind for others to gossip about;
He is a sage who, however tempted, resists gossiping about others.
有钱道真语，无钱语不真。
True, at the right price, truth can be extracted from a reluctant mouth;
Nevertheless, words from those who can be bought are not to be trusted.
不信但看筵中酒，杯杯先劝有钱人。
For proof that money has its own worshippers, look no further than the banquet table – where it is always the wealthy to whom others flock to propose toast after toast.
闹里有钱，静处安身。
Bustling locales are where one heads in search of riches;
Where quietness prevails offers one hiding niches.
来如风雨，去似微尘。
Sickness is deceiving in that it rolls in with a thunder and leaves without so much as a murmur;
It so appears only because one chooses to overlook all warning signs when the sickness started manifesting itself in a tremor.
长江后浪推前浪，世上新人赶旧人。
In the Yangtze, trailing ones push along the preceding waves;
In worldly affairs, up-comers race to replace the old knaves.
近水楼台先得月，向阳花木早逢春。
Water-butting pavilions are the first to greet the rising moon;
East-facing flowers get an early-start to welcome spring.
莫道君行早，更有早行人。
Think not you have started off the day’s travel early enough;
Look ahead – long before you, others have hit the road when the dewdrops were still hanging thick on the bough.
莫信直中直，须防仁不仁。
Take truth presented with even the utmost sincerity with a grain of salt;
Masked as kindness, unkindness trips the unsuspecting without fail.
山中有直树，世上无直人。
A trip to the mountains finds many a tree with a rule-straight trunk;
In the real world as upright a folk is often nothing but bunk.
自恨枝无叶，莫怨太阳偏。
If one finds himself scorched like a leaf-less tree by a punishing sun,
Assign not blame to the sun’s discriminating viciousness.
大家都是命，半点不由人。
Fate is blind.
一年之计在于春，一日之计在于寅，
一家之计在于和，一生之计在于勤。
Spring is the time to plan for the year;
When the day is still young, think about when day-end is near.
Harmony in the family leads to happiness and prosperity,
When coupled with individual application and perspiration.
责人之心责己，恕己之心恕人。
Criticize oneself as one would criticize others;
Forgive others as one would forgive oneself.
守口如瓶，防意如城。
It takes a small effort to guard one’s ill-conceived words from slipping;
It is a much greater undertaking to guard one’s thoughts from straying.
宁可人负我，切莫我负人。
Let me be at the receiving end of injustice;
Just let me be not indefensible when called to face justice.
再三须慎意，第一莫欺心。
Of all cautions, the first and foremost one should heed is never engage in self-deception.
虎生犹可近，人熟不堪亲。
A long-time acquaintance can be more deadly than a stranger tiger.
来说是非者，便是是非人。
The very bearer of relationship-wrecking tidings is himself a relationship-wrecker to be shunned at all cost.
远水难救近火，远亲不如近邻。
Water from a distant source is no help to a fire roaring nearby;
Kinship far away is no match of next-door neighbors when emergencies strike.
有茶有酒多兄弟，急难何曾见一人。
When tea and wine flow free, everyone is a brother;
In emergencies, a lesser friendship’s answer is “don’t bother.”
人情似纸张张薄，世事如棋局局新。
Choose friends wisely – most relationships are paper-thin;
Treat life as a chess game – unexpected moves are only to be expected.
山中也有千年树，世上难逢百岁人。
In remote mountains, trees routinely thrive even after their 1000th year;
Humans, enduring wear and tear, seldom last beyond the century mark.
力微休负重，言轻莫劝人。
The weak is best to avoid heavy-lifting;
The light-weighted is best to avoid advice-gifting.
无钱休入众，遭难莫寻亲。
In poverty, stay away from high society;
In need, steer clear of kinship.
平生莫作皱眉事，世上应无切齿人。
He who lives by the golden rules has no enemies.
士者国之宝，儒为席上珍。
Intellectuals are a country’s invaluable asset;
A scholar’s very presence commands respect.
若要断酒法，醒眼看醉人。
The best recipe for quitting drinking lies in the eyes of a sober man looking over a drunkard.
求人须求大丈夫，济人须济急时无。
Seek help only from the willing and generous;
Dispense succor to the needy in emergencies.
渴时一滴如甘露，醉后添杯不如无。
A drop of water tastes supreme to the thirsty;
A toast beyond drunkenness is best left unproposed.
久住令人贱，频来亲也疏。
Nothing cheapens friendship faster than overstaying one’s welcome;
Frequent visits with kinship turn close relations into strangers.
酒中不语真君子，财上分明大丈夫。
The honorable scandalizes not;
The upright embezzles not.
出家如初，成佛有余。
Set you mind to a goal and persevere,
And it shall be only a matter of time when you will get there.
积金千两，不如明解经书。
A thorough understanding of the Classics is worth more than a thousand ounces of gold.
养子不教如养驴，养女不教如养猪。
An uneducated son is no better than an ass;
An uneducated daughter is no better than a pig.
仓廪虚兮岁月乏，子孙愚兮礼义疏。
Life has something wanting when the granary is depleted;
Upbringing has something lacking when the offspring is uneducated.
同君一席话，胜读十年书。
Why lock yourself up in a study for years when you can gain the same enlightenment by conversing with a learned man?
人不通今古，马牛如襟裾。
An unlearned man is not much better than a suited-up beast.
茫茫四海人无数，哪个男儿是丈夫。
Of the myriads of human beings all over the world, how many are true heroes?
白酒酿成缘好客，黄金散尽为收书。
A good home-brewed wine is for entertaining distinguished guests;
A well-spent wealth is one dispensed to satisfy knowledge quest.
救人一命，胜造七级浮屠。
Save a life and you are in high heavens.
城门失火，殃及池鱼。
Doomed are the fish that live in the pond just outside a burning city’s gate.
庭前生瑞草，好事不如无。
What with well-foreboding blades growing in the courtyards! - let others have all the omens;
I myself am quite content to have none of the nonsense.
欲求生富贵，须下死工夫。
If you ever dream about riches from rags,
Know that applying oneself is the only practical path.
百年成之不足，一旦败之有余。
It takes hundreds of years to build something truly great;
To destroy it, an instant is more than needed.
人心似铁，官法如炉。
An individual is no match of the law.
善化不足，恶化有余。
Do good and stop not;
Quit evil and continue to mend.
水太清则无鱼，人至察则无徒。
Clear water spawns no fishesl
In recruiting followers, a sage has only unfulfilled wishes.
知者减半，省者全无。
Only half of us are above average;
The perfect, none.
在家由父，出家从夫。
A daughter defers to his father until she marries, when she defers to her husband.
痴人畏妇，贤女敬夫。
A foolish man lets his wife get the better of him;
A wise woman humors her husband’s whim.
是非终日有，不听自然无。
No use to fight gossips – they are indeed everywhere;
Stay unswayed, and they are as good as heard nowhere.
宁可正而不足，不可邪而有余。
Strive to be upright, and if you end up short, so be it;
Don’t be tempted by evil, less you regret later, when it is too late.
宁可信其有，不可信其无。
Prepare for the worst, and hope for the best.
竹篱茅舍风光好，道院僧堂终不如。
A family life lived in a lean-to beats a cloistered withdrawal from worldly affairs all the time.
命里有时终须有，命里无时莫强求。
What is yours will come to you by natural course;
What is not yours cannot taken by force.
道院迎仙客，书堂隐相儒。
Established abbeys welcome those pursuing other-worldly goals;
Gentlemen’s studies hide learned scholars worthy of lofty posts.
庭栽栖凤竹，池养化龙鱼。
Phoenixes nest high on the bamboos in the courtyard;
Palace-worthy fishes lend their touch of elegance by gracing the pond.
结交须胜己，似我不如无。
Make friends of only those who are one’s superior;
After all, one gains little by looking at one’s reflection in the mirror.
但看三五日，相见不如初。
A few days is all it takes for one to overstay one’s welcome.
人情似水分高下，世事如云任卷舒。
All relationships are not the same, some more substantial than others;
Once well-versed in worldly affairs, come what may, one can handle with ease.
会说说都是，不会说无礼。
The glib get away with the crude;
The tongue-tied is chastised for being rude.
磨刀恨不利，刀利伤人指。
求财恨不得，财多害自己。
The knife-sharpener sharpens the knife only to nib his finger;
The riches-seeker hunts for wealth only to harm his wellbeing.
知足常足，终身不辱。
知止常止，终身不耻。
Know when you have had your fill and ask for no more, you live a life both wholesome and pleased;
Know when you have reached the limit and push no more, you leave behind a reputation pure and distinguished.
有福伤财，无福伤己。
Consider yourself fortunate if you suffered only material losses;
Much worse you would have been should physical harm have resulted.
差之毫厘，失之千里。
Inches missed, miles apart resulted.
若登高必自卑，若涉远必自迩。
One scales great heights by placing himself at the foot of the peaks;
One goes places by not thinking himself above trivial travails.
三思而行，再思可矣。
A good execution trumps a perfect plan.
使口不如自走，求人不如求己。
God helps those who help themselves.
小时是兄弟，长大各乡里。
Siblings grow apart;
Friends travel afar.
妒财莫妒食，怨生莫怨死。
One may hate wealth, but not food;
One may complain about living, but not death.
人见白头嗔，我见白头喜。
多少少年亡，不到白头死。
While others dread old age, I am only too happy to see my hair turns salt and peppery;
Just think, many of our brethren die young and never reach old age!
墙有逢，壁有耳。
Beware of eavesdroppers.
好事不出门，恶事传千里。
Good news travels slowly;
Bad news travels only fast.
贼是小人，知过君子。
Hooligans never outgrow their small-mindedness;
Gentlemen learn from their imperfections.
君子固穷，小人穷斯滥也。
Gentlemen never compromise their character because of poverty;
The same cannot be said of the petty-minded.
贫穷自在，富贵多忧。
When one is poor, he often is worry-free; yet when he comes into wealth, he loses his birthright to a quiet night’s sleep.
不以我为德，反以我为仇。
Kindness sometimes is paid back with hatred.
宁向直中取，不可曲中求。
Engage in life’s pursuits by just means;
Ill-gotten gains will find a way back to haunt you.
人无远虑，必有近忧。
Long-term plans help stave off imminent worries.
知我者为我心忧，不知我者谓我何求。
Those who share my ideals pray for my success;
Others accuse me of ulterior motives.
晴天不肯去，只待雨淋头。
Make hay while the sun shines.
成事莫说，覆水难收。
When you have accomplished something, enjoy a quiet moment of celebration;
You never know, but envious minds may make you regret your revelation.
是非只为多开口，烦恼皆因强出头。
From gossiping springs many a trouble;
To avoid headaches, refrain to run when you can only wobble.
忍得一时之气，免得百日之忧。
An ounce of temperance in time saves many troubles down the road.
近来学得乌龟法，得缩头时且缩头。
Why are not men as smart as the turtle, who knows not to stick its head out when it sees trouble?
惧法朝朝乐，欺公日日忧。
Abide by the law, and live a happy and contented life;
Go your crooked ways, and every night will be a sleepless night.
人生一世，草生一春。
Life is short – make the most of it.
黑发不知勤学早，看看又是白头翁。
When one is still young, he does not know the importance of getting a head start with his education;
When he finally realizes that something is amiss, it is only too late – white hair is already creeping up his elevation.
月到十五光明少，人到中年万事休。
After the second quarter, the moon reflects a glimmer light by the night;
Past midlife, one may as well kiss his life-dreams good-bye.
儿孙自有儿孙福，莫为儿孙作马牛。
Worrying about the offspring is often a hopeless undertaking,
Instead, why not have faith in providence: each is worthy only what he is making.
人生不满百，常怀千岁忧。
Men seldom live beyond the century mark;
Yet they constantly worry about things ten times as afield in life’s park.
今朝有酒今朝醉，明日愁来明日忧。
Carpe diem - make haste and make merry!
If tomorrow shall bring worries, pray let they spoil not my high spirits now and here.
路逢险处难回避，事到头来不自由。
Faced with a dilemma, back-pedaling is seldom is an option;
Freedom is something one creates by not getting into an impossible situation.
药能医假病，酒不解真愁。
If medicine can sometimes treat maladies out of stories,
Spirits are hardly the right remedy for genuine worries.
人贫不语，水平不流。
Poverty-shy souls keep their mouths shut;
Still water goes nowhere - up not and down not.
一家有女百家求，一马不行百马忧。
A hundred suitors go after one prize daughter is announced to be waiting (in the wings);
A hundred other horses become concerned when one star performer goes missing.
有花方酌酒，无月不登楼。
Flowers in bloom call for a feast of appreciation;
A full moon calls for a night out star-gazing.
三杯通大道，一醉解千愁。
Three shots deliver you to enlightenment;
A blackout sends a thousand worries to oblivion.
深山毕竟藏猛虎，大海终须纳细流。
A mountain knows it has its name made when the fierce tiger calls it home;
A sea abides its time for recognition while accommodating every tributary coming to join its cause.
惜花须检点，爱月不梳头。
Embrace love and be respectful;
Appreciate beauty and be yourself.
大抵选他肌骨好，不擦红粉也风流。
Natural beauties need no cosmetics.
受恩深处宜先退，得意浓时便可休。
Grace is showing gratitude at the receiving end of great kindness;
Achievement is success celebrated with little fanfare.
莫待是非来入耳，从前恩爱反为仇。
Marital bliss is best protected by turning a deaf ear to gossips.
留得五湖明月在，不愁无处下金钩。
As long as the bright moon is sound and safe on the Five Lakes,
One needs not worry about his angling days being numbered.
休别有鱼处，莫恋浅滩头。
The fisherman drops his anchor wherever fishes gather;
He gathers his gear to move on whenever, due to water becoming shallow, fishes scatter.
去时终须去，再三留不住。
All good things come to an end.
忍一句，息一怒，饶一着，退一步。
Leave one agitated word unsaid;
Even instigated, keep one temper checked.
Forgive one move that offends;
Take one step back, however hurried.
三十不豪，四十不富，五十将来寻死路。
At thirty, it is time to reign in ambitions;
At forty, time to stop pining for unrealized wealth dreams;
And at fifty, time to make time for planning for when one is no longer breathing.
生不论魂，死不认尸。
Living, refrain from talking about the dead;
In death, what cares what becomes of the ashes in the shed.
父母恩深终有别，夫妻义重也分离。
Parental love, however tender, could see one only so far;
Marital commitment sometimes also comes to an end.
人生似鸟同林宿，大限来时各自飞。
Like the birds, we all happen to rest in the same woods on this night;
When the time comes, in different directions we hesitate not to scatter and flight.
人善被人欺，马善被人骑。
The unassertive folks get picked on;
The submissive horses get ridden on.
人无横财不富，马无野草不肥。
Windfalls make a person rich;
Extra fodder keeps a horse in shape.
人恶人怕天不怕，人善人欺天不欺。
The ultimate judge sees all and discriminates against none.
善恶到头终有报，只争来早与来迟。
Justice is blind – the day of reckoning comes for all.
黄河尚有澄清日，岂可人无得运时。
If the Yellow River has its clear-water days,
One surely needs not worry that his time will never come.
得宠思辱，安居虑危。
When in favor, plan for when being out of favor;
When in safety, mull over every potential danger.
念念有如临敌日，心心常似过桥时。
Leave out of sight no vulnerabilities from enemy attacks;
Leave out of mind no precautions about walking on a bridge.
英雄行险道，富贵似花枝。
Heroes become heroes by risking theirs lives in doing what they do;
As flowers are ephemeral, wealth can vanish without so much a warning as an a-chou.
人情莫道春光好，只怕秋来有冷时。
Relationships are like the season –
There are times good and bad, warm and cold.
送君千里，终须一别。
I could have waited after traveling the first thousand miles with you;
Yet since parting ways is evitable, I might as well say good-bye here and now.
但将冷眼看螃蟹，看你横行到几时。
Allow me to sit on the sidelines watching with a disinterested eye;
Sooner rather than later, the day of reckoning will come for you, too, albeit so far you have only been riding high!
见事莫说，问事不知。
See things and say not a word;
Asked about things, you know not a thing.
闲事休管，无事早归。
Steer clear of whatever does not you concern;
Return home as soon as you have no more to learn.
假缎染就真红色，也被旁人说是非。
What is fake cannot be made real.
善事可作，恶事莫为。
Do good, and steer clear of evil.
许人一物，千金不移。
A promise made, a promise kept.
龙生龙子，虎生豹儿。
Like father, like son.
龙游浅水遭虾戏，虎落平阳被犬欺。
A fish out of water is no fish at all.
一举首登龙虎榜，十年身到风凰池。
十年窗下无人问，一举成名天下知。
Champions’ roads are paved with many years’ unacknowledged work.
酒债寻常行处有，人生七十古来稀。
Live debt-free, and you don’t have to pray for longevity.
养儿待老，积谷防饥。
Save for a rainy day.
鸡豚狗彘之畜，无失其时。
数家之口，可以无饥矣。
Plant by the season, grow by the day,
And you just have kept hunger at bay.
常将有日思无日，莫把无时当有时。
An unearned penny is a penny you don’t have for spending.
时来风送腾王阁，运去雷轰荐福碑。
Fate is chance, and chance is finicky.
入门休问荣枯事，观看容颜便得知。
Some may be better than others at hiding emotions;
All emotions, nevertheless, find a way to show on one’s face.
官清书吏瘦，神灵庙祝肥。
Judge an official by his clerks’ wellbeing;
Judge a worship house also by its clerks’ wellbeing.
息却雷霆之怒，罢却虎狼之威。
Thundering anger gets little accomplished;
Roaring show of power endears no one.
饶人算人之本，输人算人之机。
Forgive to cultivate character;
Compromise for greater gains.
好言难得，恶语易施。
It is so very difficult to earn a kind word but only too easy to dispense a hurtful one.
一言既出，驷马难追。
Watch your words – what is said can be retrieved.
道吾好者是吾贼，道吾恶者是吾师。
Beware of sabotage disguised in flatteries;
Welcome criticism meant to be correctives.
路逢侠客须呈剑，不是才人莫献诗。
Show respect to an oncoming martial artist by displaying your instrument;
Observe decorum by not flaunting your masterpiece poems to non-poets.
三人同行，必有我师，择其善者而从之，其不善者而改之。
One out of any three people is good enough to be one’s teacher. What one needs to do is learn from the good traits and check oneself against the bad ones that others exhibit.
少壮不努力，老大徒悲伤。
Failure to apply oneself in youth leads to regrets in old age.
人有善愿，天必佑之。
God forbid that bad things shall happen to good people.
莫饮卯时酒，昏昏醉到酉。
莫骂酉时妻，一夜受孤凄。
A few early-morning drinks lay waste to an entire day’s plan;
A light-headed spousal squabble ruins a full night’s sleep.
种麻得麻，种豆得豆。
We reap what we sow.
天眼恢恢，疏而不漏。
Justice may be delayed, but not denied.
见官莫向前，做客莫在后。
Avoid appearing to curry favor with officials;
Be among the first guests to pay respects to deserving hosts.
宁添一斗，莫添一口。
Go to a party invited only.
螳螂捕蝉，岂知黄雀在后。
The grasshopper preys on the unsuspecting cicada only to fall victim unawares to the calculating finch behind him.
不求金玉重重贵，但愿儿孙个个贤。
I ask not to be as rich as Bill Gates or Warren Buffett;
All I ever wish is to have Solomon-wise children and grandchildren.
一日夫妻，百世姻缘。
Seeds of marital bliss were sown a hundred lives earlier.
百世修来同船渡，千世修来共枕眠。
We have a hundred lives’ worth of karma to thank for our riding on the same ferry today;
For sleeping in the same bed tonight, that of a thousand lives.
杀人一万，自损三千。
Ten thousand kills on the enemy side are achieved at the cost of three thousand troops of one’s own.
伤人一语，利如刀割。
Unkind words can inflict as much as hurt as a knife wound.
枯木逢春犹再发，人无两度再少年。
Weather-flattened plants shall come to life again when spring returns;
One’s youth, once gone, is gone for good.
未晚先投宿，鸡鸣早看天。
Call for a hotel well before the sun sets;
Check the day’s weather as soon as the rooster stirs at the crack of dawn.
将相胸前堪走马，公候肚里好撑船。
People in high places did not get there for their small-mindedness.
富人思来年，穷人思眼前。
The rich can afford to plan for the distant future;
The financially-strapped have to cope with the present as best they can.
世上若要人情好，赊去物件莫取钱。
Small favors endear.
死生有命，富贵在天。
One cannot tamper with fate.
击石原有火，不击乃无烟。
Striking the flint properly produces sparks;
If you are yet to lift a finger, don’t complain about smokes not forthcoming.
为学始知道，不学亦徒然。
Knowledge comes from applying oneself to studying;
If one refuses to apply himself, surely nobody can force him to.
莫笑他人老，终须还到老。
但能依本分，终须无烦恼。
Hold your sniffing at the elderly until you yourself become old;
If you behave yourself, you will learn that aging is only natural.
君子爱财，取之有道。
贞妇爱色，纳之以礼。
Wealth is good, and the honest people earn it through honorable means;
Sex is desirable, and the virtuous ladies approach it with decorum.
善有善报，恶有恶报。
不是不报，日子不到。
Good deeds beget good karma, and bad deeds beget bad karma;
In due time, the karma principle never fails, or misses.
人而无信，不知其可也。
If and when one loses his credibility, he has lost it all.
一人道好，千人传实。
All wide-spread rumors start with one individual.
凡事要好，须问三老。
When in doubt, consult with the expert.
若争小可，便失大道。
To avoid being pound-foolish, steer clear of being penny-wise.
年年防饥，夜夜防盗。
Guarding against famine is a yearly business;
Guarding against burglary, a nightly affair.
学者如禾如稻，不学者如蒿如草。
The difference between with education and without education is the difference between staple plants and wild weeds.
遇饮酒时须饮酒，得高歌处且高歌。
There are occasions for drinking and there are occasions for singing.
因风吹火，用力不多。
One saves breath by letting the wind help him fan the fir.
不因渔父引，怎得见波涛。
Let the fisherman lead one to where the waves are.
无求到处人情好，不饮从他酒价高。
Relationships flourish when one makes no demands;
Non-drinkers cannot care less about sky-rocketing wine prices.
知事少时烦恼少，识人多处是非多。
Worries grow with responsibilities;
Disputes increase with relationships.
入山不怕伤人虎，只怕人情两面刀。
One dreads less fierce wild animals than double-dealing by the seemingly friendly.
强中更有强中手，恶人须用恶人磨。
Strongmen are strongmen only until they are bettered by yet stronger men;
Evil-doers only to doers of greater evil.
会使不在家豪富，风流不用着衣多。
Penny-pinchers don’t need a sizable family fortune to support a comfortable lifestyle;
Fashion greats don’t need a limitless wardrobe to buttress a personal style.
光阴似箭，日月如梭。
Time does not you or me wait.
天时不如地利，地利不如人和。
One can pray for favorable winds, one can play on geopolitical advantages, yet one’s most reliable help in any adventure remains to be cooperation from one’s corroborators.
黄金未为贵，安乐值钱多。
Contentedness is more precious than monetary wealth.
世上万般皆下品，思量唯有读书高。
Of all things obtainable under the sky, education tops them all in meaning and importance.
世间好语书说尽，天下名山僧占多。
All the great mountains are occupied by the monks;
All the pithy sayings are collected in the books.
为善最乐，为恶难逃。
It feels good to do good;
Guilt preys on conscience.
羊有跪乳之恩，鸦有反哺之义。
The lamb feeds at his mother’s breasts kneeling down;
The crow cares for its parents in old age by bringing them food.
你急他未急，人闲心不闲。
Anxiety does one little good when the time is not ripe;
Quiet preparation often accomplishes just as much.
隐恶扬善，执其两端。
Seeing others do good, help spread the word;
Hearing about others’ imperfections, let them go out through the other ear.
妻贤夫祸少，子孝父心宽。
A wise wife helps keep her husband out of trouble;
A filial son gives his sire comfort.
既坠釜甑，反顾无益。
翻覆之水，收之实难。
It is no use lamenting over broken pots or crying over spilt milk.
人生知足何时足，人老偷闲且是闲。
Abundance is what one thinks it is;
Leisure is when one makes time for leisure.
但有绿杨堪系马，处处有路透长安。
All roads lead to Rome.
见者易，学者难。
Easier said than done.
莫将容易得，便作等闲看。
Devil is in the detail.
用心计较般般错，退步思量事事难。
The pursuit of perfection gets one nowhere.
道路各别，养家一般。
We may apply our different trades, but we all are to make a living and to raise a family.
从俭入奢易，从奢入俭难。
It is sweet to be able to move up; it is hell to have to move down;
知音说与知音听，不是知音莫与弹。
Birds of the same feather flock together.
点石化为金，人心犹未足。
Greed is a bottomless pit.
信了肚，卖了屋。
One picks his own priority between the stomach and the roof.
他人观花，不涉你目。
他人碌碌，不涉你足。
To each his own.
(Mind one’s own business.)
谁人不爱子孙贤，谁人不爱千钟粟。
莫把真心空计较，五行不是这题目。
Everyone wishes his offspring were wise and well-educated;
Everyone hopes his household to be well-off and abundantly-provided.
Commonsense like this is granted to be universally true;
Should you wish not to waste time, debate on something more sophisticated.
与人不和，劝人养鹅。
与人不睦，劝人架屋。
A dispute can sometimes be settled amicably with a small gesture of kindness.
但行好事，莫问前程。
True charity needs no motivation.
河狭水急，人急计生。
Great ideas are born out of necessity.
明知山有虎，莫向虎山行。
Danger is no deterrent to heroism.
路不行不到，事不为不成。
All journeys start with the first step;
All edifices start with the first brick.
人不劝不善，钟不打不鸣。
Everyone could use a little counsel/edging from time to time.
无钱方断酒，临老始看经。
Last-resort solutions are seldom good solutions.
点塔七层，不如暗处一灯。
A small lantern in the dark looks brighter than a seven-storey tower of light.
万事劝人休瞒昧，举头三尺有神明。
Hide as one may, providence sees it all.
但存方寸土，留与子孙耕。
True legacy is not measured by size.
灭却心头火，剔起佛前灯。
A little spiritual life goes a long way to ease life’s disappointment.
惺惺常不足，懵懵作公卿。
The smart ones often wind up in want;
The dim ones sometimes luck up in high places
众星朗朗，不如孤月独明。
A night accompanied by a lone full-moon feels so much more beautiful than a starry sky.
兄弟相害，不如自生。
A brother at one’s throat is one sibling one could live without.
合理可作，小利莫争。
Do only what is right and concern oneself not with matters of little consequence.
牡丹花好空入目，枣花虽小结实成。
Peony flowers are pleasing to the eye, but little date buds bear fruits in time.
欺老莫欺小，欺人心不明。
Mistreating the little ones is worse than doing it to the elderly;
Mistreat none and one has a clear conscience.
随分耕锄收地利，他时饱满谢苍天。
Be content living off one’s own two hands tilling the land;
A life of no need and no want is a fulfilled and rewarding one, amen!
得忍且忍，得耐且耐。
不忍不耐，小事成大。
Wait for one’s turn, and abide one’s time,
Less a little impatience lead to things getting out of hand.
相论逞英雄，家计渐渐退。
Compete with one’s inner self to get ahead;
Not against fellow brethren only to beat oneself dead.
贤妇令夫贵，恶妇令夫败。
Behind every successful man is an equally successful woman.
一人有庆，兆民咸赖。
When mommy is not happy, nobody is happy.
(When the sovereign suffers, each and every one of her subjects suffers.)
人老心未老，人穷志莫穷。
Ambition discriminates against neither age nor economic status.
(If anything, one discriminates against himself when it comes to ambition.)
人无千日好，花无百日红。
All good things come to an end.
杀人可恕，情理难容。
There just is no justification for taking a life.
乍富不知新受用，乍贫难改旧家风。
If the new-riches often don’t know how to start a new lifestyle,
The new-poors are much harder-pressed to rid their old spendthrift ways.
座上客常满，樽中酒不空。
Guests fill up the seats at the table;
With the cellar well-stocked, wines flow free.
屋漏更遭连年雨，行船又遇打头风。
When it rains, it pours.
笋因落箨方成竹，鱼为奔波始化龙。
Every good thing comes to be at a cost.
记得少年骑竹马，看看又是白头翁。
It seems only yesterday when I was riding the rocking horse;
Now I see in the mirror an old man with peppery hair.
礼义生于富足，盗贼出于贫穷。
Virtues are often the luxury of the wealthy;
Many a thief owes his sticky fingers to poverty.
天上众星皆拱北，世间无水不朝东。
All the stars line up to the North Star;
All the rivers travel east to join the Great Sea.
君子安平，达人知命。
Life is about finding one’s rightful station.
忠言逆耳利于行，良药苦口利于病。
Good advice jars the ear;
Good medicine displeases the palate.
顺天者存，逆天者亡。
Obey Mother Nature and thrive;
Disobey Mother Nature and pay your own price.
人为财死，鸟为食亡。
Man fights to death for the last nugget of gold;
Birds fight to death for the last peck of food.
夫妻相合好，琴瑟与笙簧。
A well-suited couple is one that produces harmonies music like a pair of complementing musical instruments.
有儿贫不久，无子富不长。
With a male heir, poverty shall be only short-lived;
Without a male heir, wealth never lasts very long.
善必寿老，恶必早亡。
Benevolent souls live to old ages;
Evil-doers die young.
爽口食多偏作药，快心事过恐生殃。
Indulged with, delicious food turns into poison;
Celebrated without constraint, happy occasions lead to tragedy.
富贵定要安本分，贫穷不必枉思量。
In wealth, it is all the more important to observe high moral standards;
In poverty, it is likely unwise to fuss over formalities.
画水无风空作浪，绣花虽好不闻香。
Wind-whipped water in paintings makes only make-believe waves;
However eye-pleasing, embroidered flowers give out no fragrance.
贪他一斗米，失却半年粮。
争他一脚豚，反失一肘羊。
Penny-wise, pound-foolish.
龙归晚洞云犹湿，麝过春山草木香。
The presence of the truly great is still felt long after they are gone.
平生只会量人短，何不回头把自量。
When the pot calls the kettle black, it is time for the former to take a look in the mirror.
见善如不及，见恶如探汤。
Emulate others in doing good, and run from bad influence like retreating from scalding water.
人贫志短，马瘦毛长。
Financially-strapped folks cannot be very assertive;
Malnourished horses cannot be but in stubbly hair.
自家心里急，他人未知忙。
Worries are best kept close to one’s chest.
贫无达士将金赠，病有高人说药方。
If illness is mainly due to luck and often attracts charitable attention,
Poverty is often one’s own making and receives little sympathy.
触来莫与说，事过心清凉。
Refrain from sharing not spur-of-the-moment sentiments;
All too often, once the moment passes, one no longer feels the same.
秋至满山多秀色，春来无处不花香。
It is a beautiful season that pleases everyone.
凡人不可貌相，海水不可斗量。
One errs in rendering judgment by appearance only;
True greatness cannot be measured with ordinary means.
清清之水，为土所防。
济济之士，为酒所伤。
A handful of dirt can make a pail of clear water murky;
An undisciplined drop of alcoholic drink can lead an otherwise upright man astray.
蒿草之下，或有兰香。
茅茨之屋，或有侯王。
Right next to a bush of wild weeds may grow a precious fragrance;
Out of a humble abode may walk a man destined for high place.
无限朱门生饿殍，几多白屋出卿。
Many a grand mansion has seen starved bodies;
Many a humble abode has produced men bound for high posts.
醉后乾坤大，壶中日月长。
With a little help from alcohol, one sees the world with an entirely different perspective.
万事皆已定，浮生空白茫。
If all is predestined, surely no hustling of any kind can change anything.
千里送毫毛，礼轻仁义重。
It is the thought that counts.
一人传虚，百人传实。
Repeated a hundred times, a falsehood gains a ring of truth.
世事明如镜，前程暗似漆。
Perfect knowledge spoils a sense of adventure.
光阴黄金难买，一世如驹过隙。
Time is fair.
Life is short.
良田万倾，日食一升。
大厦千间，夜眠八尺。
You cannot take it with you.
(You cannot take your money to the grave.)
千经万典，孝义为先。
Of all the classics, the book of filial obligations comes first.
一字入公门，九牛拖不出。
Avoid lawsuits at all cost.
衙门八字开，有理无钱莫进来。
Justice is not blind – it favors the rich.
富从升合起，贫因不算来。
Frugal habits build wealth;
Poverty roots in carefree spending.
家中无才子，官从何处来。
The road to high places is built with education.
万事不由人计较，一生都是命安排。
Plot as one may, when it really matters, fate always seems to have the final say.
急行慢行，前程只有多少路。
On life’s journey, what matters is not how soon you get there but how you get there.
人间私语，天闻若雷。
暗室亏心，神目如电。
You may only whisper, yet the omni-prescient hears you loud and clear;
Your private trespass may be ever so slight, ye the omni-prescient sees it as in broad daylight.
一毫之恶，劝人莫作。
一毫之善，与人方便。
Refrain from doing the smallest evil, for the smallest evil is still evil;
Rush to aid the needy, who can use even the most trivial gesture of kindness.
欺人是祸，饶人是福。
Mistreating others invites retribution;
Forgiveness cultivates goodwill.
天眼恢恢，报应甚速
The day of reckoning comes quicker than one can blink an eye.
圣贤言语，神钦鬼伏。
The sages’ sayings represent the highest authority.
人各有心，心各有见。
Everyone carries his own head over his shoulders;
Everyone makes up his own mind.
口说不如身逢，耳闻不如目见。
Seeing is believing.
养军千日，用在一朝。
A thousand days’ upkeep of a military is justified by one day’s deployment.
国清才子贵，家富小儿骄。
In times of peace, talent is exalted;
In wealthy families, discipline is neglected.
利刀割体痕易合，恶语伤人恨不消。
Knife wounds heal easily;
Not so with hurts inflicted by vicious personal attacks.
公道世间唯白发，贵人头上不曾饶。
White hair is the only thing that is fair in this world,
Favoring not the celebrities with any less of it.
有钱堪出众，无衣懒出门。
Parading before the public is a business reserved for the rich;
With shy wallets, the poor need to be dragged to leave home.
为官须作相，及第必争先。
All officials aspire to the very top, which makes it all the more important to get a head start by out-competing fellow candidates at the initial selection.
苗从地发，树向枝分。
Plants sprout up from the ground;
Trees branch out from the trunk.
父子和而家不退，兄弟和而家不分。
It is a thriving household where father and son get along well;
It is a prosperous household (business) where siblings (partners) stand by one another.
官有正条，民有和约。
Officials pronounce regulations and policies;
Communities make pacts and covenants.
闲时不烧香，急时抱佛脚。
Eleventh-hour efforts don’t get one very far.
幸生太平无事日，恐逢年老不多时。
One is fortunate to be born in peacetime;
Friends wish to have met each other when they were still young.
国乱思良将，家贫思贤妻。
Generals are missed in times of political instability;
Wives are missed in times of financial stress.
池塘积水须防旱，田地勤耕足养家。
When the ponds are full, it is easy to forget there are days of drought;
As long as the land is diligently attended to, one needs not worry about being unable to feed a family.
根深不怕风摇动，树正无愁月影斜。
Buried deep in the ground, roots have no fear of the roaring winds;
Standing upright, trees cannot care less about the slanted shadows cast by the moon.
奉劝君子，各宜守己。
只此程式，万无一失。
You all praiseworthy readers, pray hear this respectful supplication:
Life is all about self-discipline, and stick to it we all must, regardless of our individual station.
Should we be wise enough to learn from the above pithy sayings reflecting life's golden rules,
At the end of life’s journey, however treacherous which may at times seem, we all shall be crowned with nothing but jewels.
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