Proverbs and Sayings

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. [...]

Massive amounts of water flooded the dragon-king temple.  — The moral of this proverb, or a meaning could be even those who work to prevent something (bad) can be hurt or damaged by it. Explanation: the dragon-king is a mystical creature that lives underwater and controls the natural bodies of water. People visit the dragon-king [...]

If the roots are not removed during weeding, the weeds will grow again when the winds of Spring blows. — The moral of this proverb, or a meaning could be 1)It is essential to finish a task thoroughly or the effort would be wasted 2) To solve any problems, the source of the problem must [...]

The character “eight” does not have one stroke yet. — The moral of this proverb, or a meaning could be A particular thing hasn’t even taken shape. — Figuratively: It takes two strokes to write the character “eight”. (This is a rough translation from a Chinese proverb)

A tiger father has no canine sons. — The moral of this proverb, or a meaning could be The son of a great man is of no less valor than his father. (This is a rough translation from a Chinese proverb)