Chinese proverbs about character
People are all different, so proverbs that stress how important it is that we all rub along together are always helpful.
不耻下问
not shame under question
There is no shame in asking help of those less fortunate
A cat may look at a king
龙飞凤舞
dragon fly phoenix dance
A dragon's flight and a phoenix's dance - very powerful and invigorating.
Flamboyant. Lively and vigorous
好马不吃回头草
good horse no eat return head grass
A good horse will not eat the grass behind it
Pride may forbid a person going back to his home town after failure. Do not dwell on past actions, progress forward
心花怒放
heart flower in full bloom
The flower of the heart in full bloom
Full flowering of joy
龙争虎斗
dragon war tiger battle
Bitter fight between a dragon and tiger. An evenly matched big fight
Struggle between two equal leaders
锦上添花
tapestry up add flower
Add another flower to a tapestry
Taking too much trouble with detail to try to achieve perfection. Fiddling when already complete
Gilding the lily
坐怀不乱
sit lap no disorder
Not to be tempted even when a beautiful woman sits on one's lap
To describe a man who refuses to be tempted by lustful thoughts
人要脸,树要皮
person must have face, tree must have skin
Keeping a good reputation is as essential as bark is to a tree
Reputation ('face') must be maintained at all costs
人无完人,金无足赤
person nothing whole person, gold nothing pure gold
It is as impossible to find a perfect person as it is to discover pure gold
Having to settle for something less than perfection
老骥伏枥,志在千里
old thoroughbred hidden stable, aspiration exist 1000 miles
The old horse in the stable still yearns to gallop 1000 miles
High ambitions never fade
Old soldiers never die, they just fade away
嫁鸡随鸡, 嫁狗随狗
marry chicken follow chicken, marry dog follow dog
Marry a chicken and live with its ways, marry a dog and live with its ways
Changing approach and actions according to who you are with
When in Rome do as the Romans do
人心隔肚皮
person heart separate belly
A person's heart is not discernible from looking just at the body
People are inscrutable. Do not judge by appearance
Do not judge a book by its cover
矢口否认
arrow mouth deny
To shoot arrows from the mouth
To flatly deny the truth
穿新鞋,走老路
put on new shoes, walk old road
Wear new shoes but follow old paths
Stick to the old ways while appearing to follow the latest trends
人心不足蛇吞象
person heart no attain snake swallow elephant
A person's greed is like a snake that seeks to swallow an elephant
Greed is insatiable
自愧弗如
self ashamed not like
Ashamed at own inferiority
Ashamed of oneself
九牛二虎之力
nine ox two tiger 's strength
The strength of nine bulls and two tigers
Tremendously strong
欲速则不达
desire fast level not extend
A desire for speed but unable to reach destination
More interest in working fast than working effectively
Less haste more speed
所向无前
actual direction nothing previous
No obstacle in any direction, to be able to conquer on all fronts
Invincible against all opponents
Cave 11, Yungang Grottoes, near Datong, Shanxi. October 2005.
Image by Felix Andrews ➚ available under a Creative Commons license ➚
凡人不可貌相, 海水不可斗量
every person can not looks mutual, sea water can not argue capacity
Neither a person can be judged by his looks nor can the sea be fathomed
Judging by appearance is dangerous
Do not judge a book by its cover
挑肥拣瘦
carry fat select thin
To separate out the fat and pick only the lean meat
A very picky person. Over zealous attention to detail
同病相怜
same ill mutual pity
People with similar illness empathize with each other
People suffering the same misfortune sympathize with each other
Birds of a feather flock together
半斤八两
half catty eight taels
Two equivalent measures
Nothing to choose between two alternatives
Six of one, and half a dozen of the other
老气横秋
old spirit across autumn
Old and decrepi but experienced
No longer youthful
一鸣惊人
one cry startle people
One chirp surprises everyone
To rise to stardom overnight. Discovering an unknown talent
千军易得, 一将难求
thousand troops easy get , one general difficult beg
It is easy to find a thousand soldiers, but hard to find a good general
It is hard to find an outstanding leader
众口难调
many mouth difficult mix
Difficult to make a meal to suit everyone
You can't please everyone all the time. Everyone has different tastes
One man's meat is another man's poison
毛骨悚然
hair bone fearful promise
Hair standing on end
Petrified with fright
听其言观其行
listen his speech observe his travel
Listen to what a person says and then watch what is done
Judge people by their actions, not by their words
Actions speak louder than words
莫测高深
cannot measure high deep
Too high or deep to measure
Enigmatic, unfathomable. Too profound to be readily understood
Still waters run deep
十全十美
ten complete ten beautiful
Completely whole and beautiful
Perfection; faultless
沐猴而冠
tree monkey but wear hat
A hat-wearing macaque
A worthless person hiding behind imposing looks. Trying to impress too hard
All that glitters is not gold
萝卜白菜,各有所爱
radish cabbage, each have place fond
Some prefer radish while others like cabbage
Everyone has their own preferences
Each to his own
无事不登三宝殿
nothing matter no climb three treasure hall
No-one comes to pray at the Temple of Three Treasures unless in trouble
Often it is obvious when somebody is after something
弱不禁风
weak not restrict wind
Too weak to stand a gust of wind
Fragile, unable to withstand further setbacks
兔子不吃窝边草
rabbit no eat burrow side grass
Rabbits do not eat the grass around their burrows
Thieves do not steal from neighbors
子不教父之过
child no teach father's past
A father is responsible for his son's conduct
Parents are responsible for their children's education
好人好事
good person; good deeds
Good personality good deeds
Pleasant person who behaves well
A good man is hard to find
东奔西走
east hasten west walk
Busy everywhere
Be busy; bustling about
近朱者赤,近墨者黑
near vermilion that red, near ink that black
He who stays near vermilion is stained red; he who stays near ink is stained black
Taking on the color of the company kept. Adapt to surroundings
A person is known by the company he keeps
麻雀虽小,五脏俱全
rough sparrow although small, five innards all complete
Small as it is, the sparrow has all the vital organs
A person is a person regardless of size. Complete in every detail
月下老人
moon under wise person
The deity of marriage matchmakers
Someone enabling people to meet with marriage in mind
人不可貌相,海水不可斗量
person not judge appearance mutual, sea water not judge bucket measure
A person cannot be judged by appearance just as the sea cannot be measured with a bucket
First appearances can be deceptive
Judging a book by its cover
门可罗雀
gate can net bird
The gate can catch birds. There are so few visitors that the door could be used to catch birds
Having few visitors
言而无信
word but nothing true
Speak but not mean it
To go back on one's word
斧快不怕木柴硬
axe sharp no fear wood hard
A sharp axe does not fear hard wood
A talented person is not afraid of a difficult task
开门见山
begin entrance see mountain
As soon as the door is opened see the mountain
To come straight to the point. Avoid procrastination
Brevity is the soul of wit
乳臭未干
suckle smelly not yet made
Still suckling and in nappies. Still an infant. Young and inexperienced
Infantile and immature
狼心狗肺
wolf feeling dog lungs
Wolves are aggressive, dog bark. Ungrateful; cruel and unscrupulous
Ungrateful and unscrupulous
羽毛未丰
feather not yet mature
Not yet grown adult plumage. A fledgling bird - young and inexperienced
Still too young and immature
恩将仇报
kindness will enemy repay
Repay kindness with hostility
Reject kindness
Biting the hand that feeds it
自高自大
self tall self big
Think oneself tall and great
Full of conceit and ego
吃软不吃硬
eat soft not eat hard
Only able to chew tender food, not the tough
Unable to withstand harsh criticism
兔死狐悲
hare die fox sorrow
A fox mourns the death of a rabbit
Feigning concern to conceal true feeling
To weep crocodile tears
乳臭未干
breast stink not yet make
Still smelling of mother's milk
Young and inexperienced
我行我素
I work I usual
To continue in habitual ways
Stuck following old ways
负荆请罪
carry thorns ask pain
To carry a cane and ask to be punished
Admit a fault and offer an apology
Lingxing Gate of Qufu Confucian Temple, Qufu, Shandong. January 2009.
Image by Sean Shih ➚ available under a Creative Commons license ➚
自我陶醉
self I drunk
Drunk with oneself. Narcissistic
Conceited and arrogant
和颜悦色
harmony face contended colour
Having a happy face looking contented
Amiable appearance
同床异梦
same bed different dream
Dream different dreams on the same bed
Not everyone thinks the same
It takes all sorts to make the world
人各有能有不能
person each have capability have no capability
Every person has things that he can do and those that he cannot do
Everyone has their own particular set of skills
It takes all sorts to make a world
走马看花
walk horse look flower
Looking at the flowers while riding a horse
To take a cursory look at something. Smug
瑕不掩瑜
defect not conceal jewel
A speck on a jade stone can't obscure its brilliance
One small fault won't spoil the impression of an overall exceptional person
为富不仁
be good fortune not benevolent
Have riches but not be generous
Be rich but heartless
习惯成自然
habit grow nature
Become habitual, normal
Habit becomes engrained
落叶归根
fall leaf return root
Fallen leaves return to the root
Returning to place of birth
There's no place like home
海纳百川
sea admit hundred rivers
All rivers run to the sea
We all shared a common destiny
大发雷霆
big develop thunder
Develop large thunderstorm
Fly into a furious rage
To spit nails
旧病复发
old illness duplicate issue
An old ailment returns
It is difficult to shake off a deeply rooted habit
The leopard does not change his spots
忘恩负义
forget favor lose justice
Forget a previous favor
Ungratefully forget to acknowledge a favor.
别别具一格
classify tool one pattern
Possessing a unique style
Doing things your own way
鹤立鸡群
crane stand chicken crowd
A crane standing amidst a flock of chickens
Being conspicuously different (often superior)
Standing head and shoulders above the opposition.
字里行间
character inside line between
Between the lines
Uncovering the hidden meaning or character
Reading between the lines
能者多劳
capable those who many work
The talented are kept busy
Busy people are busy because they are capable
If you want something done ask a busy man
水能载舟,亦能覆舟
water can carry boat, also can sink boat
Not only does water float a boat, it can sink it too
Events and people can have both positive and negative influences
坐井观天
sit well watch sky
To sit at the bottom of a well and view the sky
A blinkered or limited view of the world
Chinese folding fan with traditional landscape painting
酒肉朋友
wine meat friends
Friends only for the food and drink
Cupboard love
Fair weather friends
虎父无犬子
tiger father not dog child
A tiger does not father a dog
A son is similar to his father
Like father, like son
迟开的花未必不香
slow opening flower did not certainly not smell
A late-blooming flower is not necessarily lacking in fragrance
It's never too late to try something new
Our proverbs come with lots of information. The modern Chinese characters are followed by the proverb in pinyin. Next, there is a crude character by character transliteration into English, followed by a more accurate English translation. If this is a Chinese proverb alluding to history the meaning may still not be clear in English, so the general meaning follows. Finally some proverbs have fairly direct English equivalents, if so the English proverb is included at the end.
Our translations are in need of improvement, so please let us know your suggestions.
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