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    Chinese Proverbs and Popular Sayings: With Observations on Culture and Language
    Chinese Proverbs and Popular Sayings: With Observations on Culture and Language
    Chinese Proverbs and Popular Sayings: With Observations on Culture and Language
    Ebook198 pages1 hour

    Chinese Proverbs and Popular Sayings: With Observations on Culture and Language

    By Qin Xue Herzberg and Larry Herzberg

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    About this ebook

  • A thoughtful gift for those with an interest in Chinese culture and literature, accessible to and aimed at those with or without an understanding of the Chinese language

  • Well-known sayings by Confucius ("Within the four seas, all men are brothers") and Lao Zi ("The longest journey begins with a single step"), familiar anonymous proverbs ("Give a man a fish and he'll have food for a day; Teach a man to fish and he'll have a skill to use all his life") and lesser known pearls of wisdom sure to become perennial favourites

  • Index of proverbs allows for easy reference

  • Text offers analogous examples of similar Western proverbs whenever possible
    • LanguageEnglish
    PublisherStone Bridge Press
    Release dateMay 8, 2012
    ISBN9781611725179
    Chinese Proverbs and Popular Sayings: With Observations on Culture and Language

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      Chinese Proverbs and Popular Sayings - Qin Xue Herzberg

      Introduction

      The proverbs of any country or culture contain the wisdom accumulated by its people over countless generations. China is the world’s oldest continuous civilization, with over three thousand years of history. It is, therefore, hardly surprising that the Chinese language is a particularly rich source of wisdom. Arguably no other language or culture has such a treasure trove of proverbs and popular sayings that comment on every aspect of the human experience. It has as many as 20,000 literary idioms and tens of thousands of popular maxims and sayings, in addition to the pithy and profound quotes to be gleaned from three millennia of Chinese philosophy and literature.

      Whenever people in the English-speaking world hear of an especially insightful or clever quote whose origin seems at first uncertain, we look first to the Bible and then to Shakespeare (and Mark Twain, if you’re American). However, if the quote turns out to be from none of those major sources of wit and wisdom, we then assume it must be a Chinese saying—and very often that, indeed, proves to be the case. Every language and culture has many wonderful proverbs, of course, but no other matches Chinese in the sheer number of books and web sites devoted to it.

      In Western countries like the United States, proverbs are heard less and less. Because individuality and creativity are prized, quoting age-old sayings is considered trite and outdated. Few young people in America today are heard to utter such maxims as a stitch in time saves nine, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure, or the early bird catches the worm. In China, however, sayings like the ones collected here are still peppered throughout daily speech. Their ancient culture gives the Chinese shared terms of reference in the thousands of phrases that sum up a situation in a few widely understood words. Employing the literary idioms demonstrates an educated background, and the use of the wide variety of sayings adds color and spice to conversation—to the point that the speech of someone who does not sprinkle his speech with these proverbs and maxims is said to have no flavor. In such a group-centered society, the emphasis is not on originality but, rather, on enjoying a shared cultural background. Wit and originality are displayed by cleverly changing the proverb’s wording to say things in a fresh and humorous way.

      The Chinese distinguish between literary idioms, which usually consist of four words and derive from ancient stories; five- and seven-word maxims, which are considered reasonably refined and often come in rhyming couplets; and popular sayings passed down by the common people over many generations, which typically have no set length or form. Because this book is intended for people in the West who might be unconcerned with these traditional categories but are only interested in pearls of wisdom from any source, we have mixed together all the various types of proverbs and sayings. We have also included a few of the most famous quotations from Chinese writers, poets, and philosophers in the past three thousand years. Of course, no book of pithy wisdom could do without a few choice phrases said to have been uttered by Confucius, the most revered of all Chinese sages.

      The emphasis in this book, however, is on the popular sayings of the common people—which best represent the Chinese people as a whole.

      In general, we have included only the most important and most beloved sayings known to most Chinese. Some books or web sites on Chinese sayings give too few, while others catalog far too many. We have tried here to strike a useful compromise between those two extremes, to reach what Confucius called the Golden Mean.

      This book is intended neither for scholars nor solely for those who already know Chinese. For those who are familiar with the language, we have included the original Chinese sayings in Chinese characters as well as in pinyin romanization. Our main goal, however, is to share with English speakers the rich variety of great insights and colorful metaphors that Chinese proverbs offer. This book is for all those who love pithy sayings about life, who love wordplay and clever turns of a phrase, and who want to gain a better understanding of Chinese culture.

      What makes our book unique in the sea of other works available on this subject is that we attempt to show how Chinese proverbs and sayings reflect the Chinese view of the world. The book is divided into eighteen chapters, which group the sayings according to the various aspects of the human experience on which they comment, ranging from family and friends to money and morality to food. Each chapter begins with an explanation of the Chinese cultural background that relates to each of those topics.

      Our fondest wish is that the reader will enjoy learning these nuggets of wisdom and witticisms and will be inspired to look deeper into Chinese history and culture. As you read the treasury of proverbs in the following pages, you will be struck by the similarity in joys and sorrows, problems and concerns, and virtues and vices experienced in both China and the West—a reflection of what the sage Confucius said nearly 2,500 years ago:

      Within the four seas, all men are brothers.

      (All human beings in the world are one family.)

      Sì hǎi zhī nèi jiē xiōngdì yě.

      四海之内皆兄弟也。

      1 Learning

      Few other societies in the history of the world have for so long revered learning through study as have the Chinese. Starting as early as the seventh century, China chose all its government officials, except for the emperor, exclusively through an examination system based on the study of classical literature. Although it was much more difficult for a boy who did not come from the landed gentry to afford the books and instruction necessary to pass the various exams required to become a governor or imperial adviser, Chinese history is filled with examples of young men of humble beginnings who rose to prominent positions through self-education.

      It is therefore only to be expected that Chinese culture has always promoted respect for teachers, because education has been the path to success. The most revered teacher of all time in China is, of course, Confucius. To this day temples all over the country are dedicated to his memory and to the realm of books and of study that he represents.

      Here are some of the most famous quotes related to teaching, learning, and knowledge.

      quote012.tif

      TEACHERS

      Whoever is your teacher, even for a day, consider your father (to respect and care for) your whole life.

      Yírì wéi shī, zhōngshēn wéi fù.

      一日为师，终身为父。—Confucius

      When we walk together with three people, (at least) one of them will have something to teach us.

      (Whenever you encounter any group of people, whether 3 or 33, there is something to be learned from at least one of them.)

      Sān rén xíng, bì yǒu wú shī.

      三人行，必有吾师。—Confucius

      Never tire of studying, and never tire of teaching others.

      Xué ér bú yàn, huì rén bú juàn.

      学而不厌，诲人不倦。—Confucius

      Every master has his/her own teaching methods; every trick has a different sleight of hand.

      Gè shīfu gè chuánshòu, gè bǎxì gè biànshǒu.

      各师傅各传授， 各把戏各变手。

      What you learn depends on whom you study with; if you study with a butcher, you’ll never become a cobbler.

      Gēn shénme rén xué shénme yàng, gēnzhe túfū xué bùchéng píjiàng.

      跟什么人学什么样，跟着屠夫学不成皮匠。

      If you study with a sorceress, you’ll learn to dance about in a trance.

      (The person with whom you study is the person you’ll emulate.)

      Gēnzhe shá rén xué shá rén, gēnzhe wūpó huì tiào shén.

      跟着啥人学啥人，跟着巫婆会跳神。

      To teach students for three years is to teach yourself.

      (We learn something best by teaching it.)

      Jiāoshū sānnián jiāo zìshēn.

      教书三年教自身。

      Give a man a fish, and he’ll have food for a day [three meals]; teach a man to fish, and he’ll have a skill to use all his life.

      Shòu rén yǐ yú sān cān zhī xū, shòu rén yǐ yù zhōngshēn zhī yòng.

      授人以鱼三餐之需，授人以渔终身之用。

      First be a student, then be a teacher.

      (One must learn something well before one can teach it to others.)

      Xiān zuò xuéshēng, hòu zuò xiānsheng.

      先做学生，后做先生。

      Teaching by example is better than teaching by preaching.

      (Actions speak louder than words; the best form of teaching is to model the virtues you teach.)

      Shēn jiào zhòngyú yán jiào.

      身教重于言教。

      EXPERIENCE, INCLUDING FAILURE AND SUFFERING, CAN BE THE BEST TEACHER: THE SCHOOL OF HARD KNOCKS

      If previous experiences are not forgotten, they can be the teachers in later matters.

      (We can learn from previous experience only if we make the effort.)

      Qián shì búwàng hòu shì zhī shī.

      前事不忘后事之师。

      Hearing about something a hundred times cannot compare to seeing it once for yourself.

      (A picture is worth a thousand words; Seeing is believing)

      Bǎi wén bùrú yíjiàn.

      百闻不如一见。

      If you do not experience anything, it’s impossible to gain knowledge.

      Bùjīng yí shì, bùzhǎng yí zhì.

      不经一事，不长一智。

      Eat/suffer a fall into the pit, gain in your wit.

      (One often gains in wisdom after suffering [eating] misfortune.)

      Chī yíqiàn zhǎng yízhì.

      吃一堑长一智。

      Without experiencing the cold of winter, one cannot appreciate the warmth of spring.

      Bùjīng dōng hán, bùzhī chūn nuǎn.

      不经冬寒，不知春暖。

      Out of hunger comes wisdom; out of poverty comes cleverness.

      Èchūlái de jiànshí; qióngchūlái de cōngmíng.

      饿出来的见识；穷出来的聪明。

      Receive one blow, and you’ll learn a lesson; receive

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