Proverbs and Sayings » Chinese

Piercing one’s shield with one’s spear.

admin — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 09:06:46 +0000

Piercing one’s shield with one’s spear. — One of the meanings of this proverb could be… Self-contradiction. The story about this is that a man was selling shields and spears at a marketplace. He raised up one of his spears and shouted, “This spear can pierce through any wall!” Then, he raised up one of his shields and shouted, “This shield can deflect anything.” When he was asked what would happen if he pierced his own shield with his own spear, he was speechless, since he had contradicted himself. (This is a rough translation from a Chinese proverb)

The old horse in the stable still yearns to run 1000 li 1.

admin — Thu, 26 Feb 2009 02:22:39 +0000

The old horse in the stable still yearns to run 1000 li 1. — The moral of this proverb, or a meaning could be Don’t underestimate experienced people, old people still may have great ambitions and potential. Another one is “The older the ginger the hotter the spice”. Literally One of the meanings of this proverb could be… Over a long distance, you learn about the strength of your horse; over a long time, you learn about the character of your friend. This can be used positively to praise a true friend; or negatively to criticize friends that could not stand a test. (This is a rough translation from a Chinese proverb)

Covering one’s own ears while stealing a bell

admin — Wed, 18 Feb 2009 02:18:44 +0000

Covering one’s own ears while stealing a bell — The moral of this proverb, or a meaning could be Ignoring the facts is only fooling oneself.Compare it to, Elephant in the room, The Emperor’s New Clothes. (This is a rough translation from a Chinese proverb)

Man’s schemes are inferior to those made by heaven.

admin — Thu, 05 Feb 2009 02:11:46 +0000

Man’s schemes are inferior to those made by heaven.Â — Figuratively: Man proposes and God disposes. (This is a rough translation from a Chinese proverb)

Three feet of ice not result from one day of freezing weather.

admin — Wed, 04 Feb 2009 02:11:01 +0000

Three feet of ice not result from one day of freezing weather. — The moral of this proverb, or a meaning could be A predicament is not formed without a period of events creating it. And similar to Rome was not built in a day (Roma non fu fatta in un giorno, Italian proverb). (This is a rough translation from a Chinese proverb)