Proverbs and Sayings

Adding legs when painting a snake. — The moral of this proverb, or a meaning could be Don’t overdo something. Compare it to the English equivalent: to gild the lily. (This is a rough translation from a Chinese proverb)

The thousands of thoughts have turned into ashes. — One of the meanings of this proverb could be… All is lost. A hopeless situation. (This is a rough translation from a Chinese proverb)

When the tree falls, the monkeys scatter.  — You use this when a leader loses power, his followers become disorganized. This proverb is anti-anarchistic. (This is a rough translation from a Chinese proverb)

Wants the horse to be good and at the same time want the horse not to eat hay. — The moral of this proverb, or a meaning could be You can’t have your cake and eat it too (English equivalent). It’s used when someone has an unrealistic expectation. And ‘good’ and ‘hay’ rhyme in Mandarin. [...]

Spilt water will not return to the tray. — One of the meanings of this proverb could be… It’s no use crying over spilt milk. / A separated couple can never go back to as it was. Original meaning comes from an old Chinese story of a couple, but the proverb is often used in [...]