路遥知马力，日久见人心
A distant journey tests the strength of a horse and a long task proves the character of a man.
塞翁失马，焉知非福
Misfortune might be a blessing in disguise.
一朝被蛇咬，十年怕井绳
Once bitten, twice shy.
一言既出，驷马难追
A word spoken is past recalling.
一失足成千古恨
The error committed on impulse may turn out to be the sorrow of a whole life.
一年之计在于春，一日之计在于晨
Plan your year in spring and your day at dawn.
冰冻三尺，非一日之寒
Rome was not built in a day.
工欲善其事，必先利其器
You cannot make bricks without straw.
己所不欲，勿施于人
Do unto others as you would be done.
不战而屈人之兵
The supreme art of war is to subdue the enemy without fighting.
严以责己，宽以待人
To be severe with oneself and lenient with others.
谋事在人，成事在天
Man proposes and God disposes.
知子莫若父
No one knows a son better than the father.
千里之堤，毁于蚁穴
An ant may well destroy a whole dam.
百闻不如一见
One picture is worth ten thousand words.
天有不测风云，人有旦夕祸福
It is the unexpected that always happens.
化干戈为玉帛
Beat swords into plowshares. / Turn war into peace.
自助者天助
Heaven helps those who help themselves.
文胜于武
The pen is mightier than the sword.
不入虎穴，焉得虎子
How can one obtain tiger-cubs without entering the tiger’s lair.
不经一事，不长一智
Experience is the mother of wisdom.
仁者无敌
The benevolent have no enemy.
天无绝人之路
God tempers the wind to the shorn lamb.
骄兵必败
Pride goes before a fall.
种瓜得瓜，种豆得豆
You must reap what you have sown.
远亲不如近邻
Distant kinsmentmean less than close neighbors.
祸不单行
Misfortunes never come alone.
寡不敌众
There is no contending against odds.
勤能补拙
Diligence can make up for lack of intelligence.
岁月不饶人
Time and tide wait for no man.
饱食终日，无所事事
To eat the bread of idleness.
慷他人之慨
To be free with other’s money.
大智若愚
He who can not play the fool is not a wise man.
小不忍则乱大谋
A little impatience spoils great plans.
小题大做
Make a mountain out of a molehill.
不舍昼夜
Some convenience stores offer around the clock service.
一将功名万古枯
What millions died that Caesar might be great.
一人难称百人意
You cannot please everyone.
一知半解
A little knowledge is a dangerous thing.
一时兴起
Don’t always do things by fits and snatches.
人生自古谁无死
Death comes to all men.
十年风水轮流转
Every dog has its day.
入乡随俗
Do in Rome as the Romans do.
三思而后行
Look before you leap.
亡羊补牢
Better late than never.
天下乌鸦一般黑
Crows are black all over the world.
心正不怕雷打
A good conscience is a soft pillow.
关公门前耍大刀
There’s no need to teach a fish to swim.
转石不生苔
A rolling stone gathers no moss.
覆水难收
What’s done cannot be undone.
There is no use crying over spilt milk.
礼多必诈
Full of courtesy, full of craft.
得道者多助，失道者寡助
A just cause wins support, while an unjust one loses it.
得人者兴，失人者崩
He who wins the people wins, he who loses the people loses.
天时地利人和
Good timing, geographical convenience, and harmonious human relations.
从善如登，从恶如崩
Virtue uplifts, while vice debases.
满招损，谦受益
Complacency spells loss, while modesty brings benefit.
君子之交淡如水
The friendship between men of virtue is as pure as water.
言必信，行必果
Being true in word and resolute in deed.
温故而知新
Acquiring new ideas while reviewing old knowledge.
学如弓弩，才如箭镞
Learning is the bow, while competence is the arrow.
穷则变，变则通，通则久
Reaching the limit leads to change; change leads to solution; solution leads to development.
千里之行，始于足下
A journey of a thousand miles begins with the first step.
读万卷书，行万里路
Reading 10,000 volumes of books and travelling 10,000 li of roads to become knowledgeable and experienced.
不患贫而患不安，不患寡而患不均
What one worries about is not the small population but instability, not poverty but uneven distribution.
学者非必为仕，而仕者必为学
One may not study with the goal of becoming an official, but officials must be learned to fulfill their duties.
天下兴亡，匹夫有责
Everyone has a duty toward his country.
修身、齐家、治国、平天下
Self-cultivation, family management, state governance, and bringing peace to all under heaven
积小步为大成
Small steps can build into major progress.
如人饮水，冷暖自知
Only the wearer knows where the shoes pain.
比上不足，比下有余
To fall short of the best, but be better than the worst.
前事不忘，后事之师
Past experience, if not forgotten, is a guide for the future.
瑞雪兆丰年
A fall of seasonal snow give promise of a fruitful year.
置之死地而后生
Put the troops in death ground and they will live.
烈火显真金，逆境识英雄
Fire proves gold, adversity proves men.
滴水汇大海，垒石筑高墙
Drop by drop the oceans are filled; stone by stone the walls are built.
精诚所至，金石为开
Faith will move mountains./Complete sincerity can affect even metal and stone.
山穷水尽疑无路，柳暗花明又一村
Every cloud has a silver lining.
岁月不居，时节如流
Time stops for no one, and the seasons keep changing.
三月来如雄狮，去如绵羊
March comes in like a lion and goes out like a lamb.
厚德载物
Great virtue accommodates all things.
一花独放不是春，百花齐放春满园
A single flower does not make spring, while one hundred flowers in full blossom bring spring to the garden.
愚者不学无术，智者不耻下问
Fools learn nothing from wise men, but wise men learn much from fools.
不经历风雨，怎能见彩虹
No cross, no crown.
天下没有不散的筵席
All good things came to an end.
水能载舟，亦能覆舟
The water that bears the boat is the same that swallows it up.
不鸣则已，一鸣惊人
It never rains but it pours.
穷在闹市无人问,富在深山有远亲
In time of prosperity, friends will be plenty; In time of adversity, not one amongst twenty.
忍一时之气，免百日之忧
If you are patient in one moment of anger, you will escape a hundred days of sorrow./patience for a moment; comfort for many years.
授人以鱼，不如授人以渔
Give a man a fish, and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish, and you feed him for a lifetime.
花有重开时，人无再少年
Flowers may bloom again, but a person never has the chance to be young again.
国以民为本，民以食为天
The people are the foundation of a state, food is heaven to the people.
人过留名，雁过留声
A person leaves a reputation, as a swallow leaves its call.
无规矩不成方圆
Nothing can be accomplished without norms or standards.
万事俱备，只欠东风
Everything is all set except one thing./All is ready except what is crucial.
金无足赤，人无完人
Gold can’t be pure and man can’t be perfect.
好事不出门，坏事传千里
Good news never goes beyond the gate, while bad news spreads far and wide.
少壮不努力，老大徒伤悲
A young idler, an old beggar.
十年寒窗无人问，一朝成名天下知
Champions are made when no one is watching.
一着不慎，满盘皆输
It only takes one wrong move to end in a total defeat./A chain is no stronger than its weakest link.
江山易改，本性难移
A leopard cannot change its spots./A fox may grow grey, but never good.
鸟以声闻，人以言知
A bird is known by its note, and a man by his talk.
星星之火，可以燎原
A single spark can start a prairie fire.
失之毫厘，差之千里
A miss is as good as a mile.
功崇惟志，业广惟勤
One must have great ambition and make tireless efforts to achieve success.
转益多师
Learn from many masters, and form your own style.
他山之石，可以攻玉
The stones of those hills may be used to polish gems./By other’s faults, wise men correct their own.
狭路相逢勇者胜
The brave braces the brink victory.
己欲立而立人,己欲达而达人
Help others secure a footing and succeed if you are to make it youself.
十年树木，百年树人
It takes ten years grow trees, but a hundred to rear people.
仁者乐山，智者乐水
The virtuous love mountains and the wise love waters.
艰难困苦，玉汝于成
Success comes only through hard work.
情以物迁，辞以情发
Feeling varies with scenery and verbal expression arises from feeling.
信言不美，美言不信
Trustworthy words may not be fine-sounding; fine-sounding words may not be trustworthy.
宁为玉碎，不为瓦全
Rather die with honor than live in shame.
精骛八极，心游万仞
Roaming remote realms and soaring to great heights.
顺无不行，果无不彻
When what you say is justified, there is nothing you cannot accomplish. when you act decisively, you will succeed.
言之无文，行而不远
Lackluster wording never travels far.
淡泊明志，宁静致远
Indifference to fame and fortune characterizes a high aim in life, and leading a quiet life helps one accomplish something lasting.
兄弟阋于墙，外御其侮
Brothers quarrel within the walls of the home; outside they resist bullying by others.
欲谋胜敌，先谋人和
To overcome the enemy, first build unity./To defeat the enemy, it is necessary to unite people around the same goal.
靡不有初，鲜克有终
All things have a beginning, but few can reach the end.
言者无罪，闻者足戒
Those who speak shouldn’t be punished while those who listen should take warning.
虽有智慧，不如乘势
Even if one is intelligent, it is better to follow the trend of the times.
无欲则刚
People with no covetous desires stand upright.
恃德者昌，恃力者亡
Those who rely on virtue will thrive; those who rely on force will perish.
发纤秾于简古，寄至味于淡泊
Richness dwells in vintage simplicity and nuanced profundity in serene composure.
道不同，不相为谋
People who differ in their principles do not work together.
患在土崩，不在瓦解
Calamity is collapse like a landslide, not a few roof-tiles coming loose.
言有物，行有恒
Talk substance; act with perseverance.
文不灭质，博不溺心
Graceful wording should not conceal content, and intricate rhetoric should not drown out the author’s feelings and thoughts.
月晕而风，础润而雨
A lunar halo forecasts wind and a wet column base rain.
不愤不启，不悱不发
Instruct only who is anxious to learn; teach only who wants to express himself but does not know how.
事出于沈思，义归乎翰藻
Recording history in an in-depth way and presenting it in eloquent writing.
繁采寡情，味之必厌
Excessive adornment and lack of true feeling make one’s writing dull.
法与时变，礼与俗化
Laws change along with evolving times; rites shift along with changing customs.
为学日益，为道日损
Pursue knowledge by adding more each day; pursue Dao by subtracting some (bias and desires) each day.
仓廪实而知礼节，衣食足则知荣辱
When the granaries are full, the people follow appropriate rules of conduct; when there is enough to eat and wear, the people know honor and shame.
学于众人，斯为圣人
Learning from others enables one to become a sage.
声一无听，物一无文
A single note does not compose a melodious tune, nor does a single color form a beautiful pattern.
虽负贩，必有尊
Even peddlers have something to be respected for.
福祸相倚
Fortune and misfortune are intertwined.
爱人深者求贤急
Those who most love the people will eagerly seek talent.
贫不学俭，卑不学恭
Poor people do not need to learn frugality, and humble people do not need to learn respectfulness.
承前启后，继往开来
Inherit the past and forge ahead into the future.
二人同心，其利断金
When two people are of the same mind, their combined strength is like a sharp blade which can cut through metal.
赏信罚必
Confer honors and mete out punishment to those who deserve them.
鉴古知今
Review the past to understand the present.
礼不下庶人
The common people are not bound by ceremonial rites.
意不称物，文不逮意
Ideas cannot match actual things and words cannot fully express ideas.
经世致用
Study of ancient classics should meet present needs.
象外之象，景外之景
The image beyond an image, the scene beyond a scene.
约定俗成
Established through popular usage. / Accepted through common practice.
厉与西施，道通为一
A scabby person and the beautiful lady Xishi are the same in the eyes of Dao.
知易行难
To know is easy; to act is hard.
知难行易
To act is easy; to know is hard.
不涉理路，不落言筌
Poets should not concern themselves with theory, logic or any other convention in the use of language.
安时处顺
One should face reality calmly and follow its natural course.
防民之口，甚于防川
To silence the people is more harmful than blocking a river.
虽天子，必有尊
Even the Son of Heaven has something to respect.
能自得师者王
Eagerness to learn enables one to excel oneself.
战胜易，守胜难
It is easy to win a war but difficult to retain the victory.
义以生利，利以丰民
Justice brings wealth, and wealth enriches people.
尊师重道
Honor teachers and respect rules.
海纳百川，有容乃大
The vast ocean accepts hundreds of rivers emptying into it; people with a broad mind can achieve greatness.
信以传信，疑以传疑
Pass down both what is credible and what is unverifiable.
悬壶济世
Hanging a gourd (practicing medicine) to help the world.
食必常饱，然后求美
Attention to refined taste comes only after the stomach is sated.
外师造化，中得心源
Draw artistic inspiration from both within and without.
发乎情，止乎礼义
Start with feelings and control with propriety.
言与志反，文岂足征
Writing that runs counter to its author’s aspirations is worthless.
崇本举末
Revere the fundamental and keep the specific unchanged.
崇本息末
Revere the fundamental and dismiss the specific.
刚柔相济
Combine toughness with softness.
见微知著
Learning about what is forthcoming by observing tiny clues.
庄周梦蝶
Zhuangzi dreaming of becoming a butterfly.
临渊履薄
Be discreet as if standing on cliff edge or treading on thin ice.
万物并育而不相害，道并行而不相悖
All living things grow side by side without harming one another; the universe and the seasons rotate according to their own laws without hindering each other.
志合者，不以山海为远
Even mountains and seas cannot distance people with common aspirations.
