Sayings Flashcards
成语
(chéngyǔ)
four-character idioms, the collected wisdom of Chinese culture
俗语 vs. 谚语
(súyǔ) vs. (yànyǔ)
colloquial (casual) language vs. proverbs
歇后语
(xiēhòuyǔ)
two-part sayings: describes a situation, then the message
知其不可,而为之
(zhī qí bùkě, ér wéi zhī)
know it’s impossible, and still do it
饭后百步走,活到九十九
(fàn hòu bǎi bù zǒu, huó dào jiǔshíjiǔ)
literally: walk 100 steps after a meal, live to 99
meaning: good for health to do some exercise after a meal
姜还是老的辣
(jiāng háishì lǎo de là)
literally: old ginger is hotter than young ginger
meaning: experience counts
强扭的瓜不甜
(qiáng niǔ de guā bù tián)
literally: a melon picked by force isn’t sweet
meaning: don’t force someone to do something or the result won’t be good
熟能生巧
(shú néng shēng qiǎo)
literally: with familiarity you learn the trick
meaning: practices make perfect / skill comes from practice
笨鸟先飞
(bèn niǎo xiān fēi)
literally: the clumsy bird flies early
meaning: to work hard to compensate for one’s limited abilities
过犹不及
(guò yóu bù jí)
too far/much is as bad as not enough
有志者,事竟成
(yǒu zhì zhě, shì jìng chéng)
where there is a will, there is a way
功夫不负有心人
(gōngfu bù fù yǒuxīnrén)
hard work pays off / everything comes to him who waits
金无足赤,人无完人
shortened: 金无足赤
(jīn wú zú chì, rén wú wán rén)
literally: gold can’t be pure and people can’t be perfect
meaning: no one is perfect
比上不足,比下有余
(bǐ shàng bùzú, bǐ xià yǒuyú)
literally: compared to the top, insufficient, compared to the bottom, have abundance
meaning: worse off than some, better off than many
吃一堑,长一智
(chī yī qiàn, zhǎng yī zhì)
literally: fall into a ditch and you’ll be wiser next time
meaning: learn from mistakes