Chinese idioms about laboring towards success
Our proverbs come with full information. The modern Chinese characters are given first with links that give information on the character. As proverbs are so old you will often see them written using the traditional form of characters; so if some of the characters have been simplified the traditional form is shown in brackets and gray text. The characters are followed by the proverb (normally a 成语 chéng yǔ) 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 shown.
For background on the types and history of proverbs please see our guide.
When striving towards a better job, or bringing up a family you may need a proverb to keep yourself determined for the long haul towards success.
哀兵必胜 [哀兵必勝]
A vengeful army will certainly win
Strong emotion galvanizes effort.
半途而废 [半途而廢]
Give up half way through
To abandon work half done. Lacking determination to see the job through.
Roughly equivalent to: Stick to your guns.
笨鸟先飞早入林 [笨鳥先飛早入林]
A clumsy bird that flies first will get to the forest earlier
Starting early helps achieve success.
Roughly equivalent to: The tortoise beats the hare. The early bird catches the worm.
不到黄河不死心 [不到黃河不死心]
Not giving up until one reaches the Yellow River
Keep going until you hit an insurmountable obstacle.
Roughly equivalent to: He who hesitates is lost.
不怕路长只怕志短 [不怕路長只怕志短]
Not fear a long road; fear aspiration to start
Do not be afraid of a long road to success only be afraid of a shortage of ambition.
Roughly equivalent to: Rome was not built in a day.
常将有日思无日,莫将无时想有时 [常將有日思無日莫將無旹想有旹]
When rich there is time to think all day, when poor there is no time to think
When rich, you have time to dream, but do not dream of riches when you are poor.
赐子千金不如教子一艺 [賜子千金不如教子一藝]
Better to teach a child a skill than give money
Learning a new skill will pay dividends in the future.
粗枝大叶
A large branch with large leaves. Unable to draw in fine detail
Lack of attention to detail.
单枪匹马 [單槍匹馬]
A single spear and a single horse
Taking on a difficult task on your own.
飞蛾投火 [飛蛾投火]
A moth throws itself into a flame
Heading for self destruction.
Roughly equivalent to: Like a moth to a flame.
凤毛麟角 [鳳毛麟角]
As rare as phoenix feathers and unicorn horns
Seeking the unobtainable.
功亏一篑 [功虧一簣]
A new dam is left incomplete due to the lack of one basket of earth
See things through to the end.
镜花水月 [鏡花水月]
Flowers in a mirror and the moon in water
Beautiful but unattainable dreams. Unrealistic ambitions.
Image by Jeremy Barwick ➚ available under a Creative Commons license ➚
蚂蚁啃骨头 [螞蟻啃骨頭]
Like ants gnawing at a bone
Dogged perseverance to achieve a long term end.
破釜沉舟
Smash the pots and sink the boats
A story ➚ at the fall of the Qin dynasty 207BCE tells of the general Xiang Yu who refused to accept possibility of retreat at the battle of Julu by burning the boats and smashing the cooking pots. So it means no going back whatever happens. Cutting off all possibility of retreat.
Roughly equivalent to: Burning your boats.
千里之行始于足下
A long march starts from a single step
Perseverance will lead to eventual success.
Roughly equivalent to: Mighty oaks from little acorns grow.
人往高处走,水往低处流 [人往高處走水往低處流]
A person moves up while water always trickles down
There is always room for improvement.
Roughly equivalent to: Practice makes perfect.
人心不足蛇吞象
A person's greed is like a snake that seeks to swallow an elephant
Greed is insatiable.
人心隔肚皮
A person's heart is not discernible from looking just at the body
People are inscrutable. Do not judge by appearance.
Roughly equivalent to: Don't judge a book by its cover.
山不转路转 [山不轉路轉]
A mountain cannot turn, but a road can
It is not necessary to continue in the same direction, there are other alternatives to avoid an obstacle.
Roughly equivalent to: There's more than one way to skin a cat.
事倍功半
Work very hard for half the result
Work with care rather than speed.
Roughly equivalent to: Less haste more speed.
水滴石穿
Dripping water eventually wears away stone
If you persevere, you will eventually achieve your goal.
Roughly equivalent to: Mighty oaks from little acorns grow.
说到做到 [說到做到]
Say and then make
Do what one says.
Roughly equivalent to: Actions speak louder than words.
铁杵成针 [鐵杵成針]
Grind an iron rod down to a needle
Perseverance can achieve anything.
兔死狗烹
Trusted helpers are dispensable once their job is done
Watch your back. Once the mission is accomplished you may be sacked.
Roughly equivalent to: Outliving your usefulness.
维妙维肖 [維妙維肖]
Weave skillfully life like images
Produce an image remarkably true to life; highly skilled.
五十步笑一百步
Fifty steps laugh at a hundred steps
Being complacent about the future. Believing a job is all but done when only half done.
Roughly equivalent to: Pride comes before a fall.
一步登天
Approach heaven with a single stride
An attempt to achieve a goal all in one go without hard work.
Roughly equivalent to: Rome was not built in a day.
有何不可
Anything not possible
Anything may be possible.
有钱能使鬼推磨 [有錢能使鬼推磨]
If you have money you can make the devil push a grind stone
Money can buy you anything.
玉不琢不成器
Jade requires fashioning to turn into a gem
Training and discipline are needed to build character.
愚公移山
The foolish old man who moved mountains
Anything can be achieved with persistence. The famous story ➚ is that an old man wanted to move a mountain that blocked his path. Despite widespread cynicism he and his descendents gradually wore down the mountain. Mao Zedong used this proverb to persuade people that the seemingly impossible was achievable. One version of the story has the gods taking pity on the old man and removing the mountain with their magical powers.
Roughly equivalent to: Go the extra mile.
输攻墨守 [輸攻墨守]
Shu attacks and Mo defends
Two opponents of equal skill. Back in the Spring and Autumn period the story goes that Gongshu Ban, a carpenter had developed a new device to attack cities. He was persuaded by the pacifist philosopher Mo Zi not to deploy it. Mo Zi was able to defend against any attack by Gongshu Ban leading to stalemate.
Roughly equivalent to: Fighting to a standstill.
忍辱负重 [忍辱負重]
Enduring humiliations in line of duty
Willing to put up with disgrace and humiliation so that work can be done. Often applied to someone given a very difficult but important task.
Roughly equivalent to: Taking the flak.
世外桃源
The land of peach blossoms
A mythical land of peace and harmony. The story is of a hidden land that a fisherman found while trying to escape turmoil and war in the Qin dynasty. Try as he might he never found the land again.
Roughly equivalent to: Land of milk and honey.
卷土重来 [捲土重來]
Sweeping off the dust and trying again
Making a comeback after a setback - determined to have another go. Like getting back on a horse after being thrown off.
Roughly equivalent to: Dust yourself off and start all over again.
一顾之荣 [一顧之榮]
Honored from a single glance
Honored by a visit of someone distinguished who is showing an interest. A passport to getting on in social circles. The story is that a horse expert was persuaded to give a mere glance at a horse that was for sale and by so doing its price rose enormously in value.
磨杵成针 [磨杵成針]
Grinding an iron pestle down to a needle
Patiently setting about a great, lengthy task step by step. Anything can be achieved with a firm resolve,
Roughly equivalent to: Little strokes fell great oaks.
一意孤行
Obstinately clinging to one's course
Acting dogmatically in pursuit of own objectives without regard to others. Dogged determination. Sometimes this approach is honorable and sometimes leads to ruin but it is the single-mindedness that is being admired.
Roughly equivalent to: Steely-eyed.
Image by Jakub Halun ➚ available under a Creative Commons license ➚
老蚌生珠
An old oyster yields pearls
Remaining fit and healthy into old age, specifically can mean fathering children in advanced years.
Roughly equivalent to: There's many a good tune played on an old fiddle.
发愤忘食 [發憤忘食]
Working so hard as to forget to eat
Concentrating on work so much that appetite is forgotten. Implication that work is interesting rather than drudgery.
开天辟地 [開天闢地]
To separate heaven from earth
The beginning of a great task. In one creation myth Pangu set about his momentous work by first separating heaven (yang) from earth (yin). An epic undertaking.
Roughly equivalent to: To boldly go.
引锥刺股 [引錐刺股]
Pricking your thigh with an awl
Study hard with great determination. An awl is a sharp pointed tool for making holes in wood. The story is from the Three Character classic which tells how Su Qin of the Han dynasty pricked himself in the thigh to keep himself awake and alert for study. Used as a parent or teacher's encouragement for children to study diligently.
Roughly equivalent to: Hit the books.
滴水穿石
Dripping water can bore into stone
Long perseverance will win in the end, even stone wears away. Nothing is permanent.
Roughly equivalent to: Keep on keeping on.
走官发财 [走官發財]
Become a government official in order to become rich
Attain riches by work in government.
东山再起 [東山再起]
To rise again from the east mountain
Coming back after voluntary retirement into public life. Particularly for taking on high office after a long break away from all the action.
Roughly equivalent to: To make a comeback.
孟母三迁 [孟母三遷]
Mencius' mother moved house three times
It's important to spend time getting things just right for your children's education. The famous story is of Mencius (Mengzi) the second sage of Confucian philosophy. To ensure she had chosen the best possible location for her son's education she is reputed to have moved house three times. The legend is mentioned in the three character classic.
不怕慢就怕站
Not fear slowing down; fear coming to a halt
Do not be afraid of slowing down as long as you keep going.
Roughly equivalent to: A rolling stone gathers no moss.
不入虎穴焉得虎子
Without entering a tiger's den how can you hope to capture a tiger cub?
Great rewards require a great risk.
Roughly equivalent to: Fortune favors the brave. Nothing ventured, nothing gained.
点石成金 [點石成金]
Turn stone into gold
To turn something of little worth into something of great value.
Roughly equivalent to: Improve beyond recognition.
百折不挠 [百折不撓]
Not to falter despite many setbacks
Persistence pays off in the end.
Roughly equivalent to: Patience is a virtue.
逆境出人才
Rebellion creates capability
Hardship and adversity foster talent.
Roughly equivalent to: If life deals you lemons, make lemonade.
