CHINESE PROVERBS Ancient Wisdom for the 21st Century
BEAUTY The measure of perfection
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Avoid the employment of servants too pleasing to the eye. 童僕勿用俊美
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Dream different dreams while in the same bed. 同床異夢
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One man’s fault is another man’s lesson 前車可鑑
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Knowing is not as good as loving; loving is not as good as enjoying. 知之不如好之 好之不如樂之
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FAMILY Man’s heritage and only hope of succession
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With true friends... even water drunk together is sweet enough. 知心能相聚 喝水也心甜
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When brothers and sisters argue the bystander takes advantage. 鷸蚌相爭 漁人得利
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Giving your son a skill is better than giving him one thousand pieces of gold. 遺子黃金滿籯 不如一經
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Hire a young carpenter but consult an old physician. 量才而用
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If you must play, decide on three things at the start: the rules of the game, the stakes, and the time to quit. 玩遊戲，先決者三： 規則、注碼及離場時間
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Do no favours purely for their rewards. 施恩莫望報
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Make happy those who are near, and those who are far will come. 近者說 遠者來
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The tongue is like a sharp knife, it can kill without drawing blood. 舌劍殺人不見血
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There are many paths to the top of the mountain, but the view remains the same. 一致而百慮 殊途而同歸
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Even the highest mountain begins at the base. 萬丈高樓平地起
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Climb mountains to see lowlands. 登高望遠
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The man who removes a mountain begins by carrying away small stones. 高山可以移 需從片石始
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There is a great man who makes every man feel small. But the really great man is he who makes every man feel great. 有些偉人令人自覺渺小 真正偉人令人自覺重要
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Age and time do not wait for anyone. 歲月不饒人
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Be not afraid of going slowly, be afraid only of standing still. 不怕慢 只怕站
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We are not so much concerned if you are slow as when you come to a halt. 不怕慢 只怕站
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A wise man makes his own decisions, an ignorant man obeys public opinion. 智者靠己 庸者靠人
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Small men think they are small; great men never know they are great. 渺小的人認為自己渺小 偉大的人從不知道自己偉大
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If a man does only what is required of him, he is a slave. If a man does more than is required of him, he becomes a free man. 塞責者為奴 負責者為主
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The aphorisms of Confucius may well be timeless, but the real gems of Chinese wisdom lie in the anonymous and ageless proverbs, of which this volume contains a formidable and beautifully illustrated selection. Accompanying the Romanized version and English translations in this edition are the corresponding Chinese calligraphic characters.