rén shēng rú xì xì rú rén shēng

all the world's a stage

直译: life is like a play, [and] a play is like life

rén suàn bù rú tiān suàn

the best laid plans of mice and men often go awry; no matter how much one plans things out, life always intervenes; man proposes, God disposes; God's plans supersede our own

rén zǒu chá liáng

When a man loses his power, he loses the praise, respect or flattering as well. / the superficiality of human relationships

直译: the tea cools down as soon as the person is gone

huì kū de hái zi yǒu nǎi chī

the squeaky wheel gets the grease

fēn jiǔ bì hé hé jiǔ bì fēn

That which is long divided must unify; that which is long unified must divide.; worldly affairs are constantly changing

出处: From Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Chapter One (first line after the opening poem).

dào shén me shān shàng chàng shén me gē

when in Rome, do as the Romans do; to adapt oneself to an occasion

shí nián hé dōng shí nián hé xī

prosperity and decline never last; everything in life is cyclical; life has its ups and downs

直译: Ten years on the east side of the river, ten years on the west side of the river.

zhǐ yào mù dì zhèng dàng kě yǐ bù zé shǒu duàn

The end justifies the means; all's fair in love and war.

zài jiā qiān rì hǎo chū mén yī shí nán

It is good to stay at home, but there are many difficulties outside.

dà shì huà xiǎo xiǎo shì huà liǎo

Turn big problems into small ones, and small ones into no problems at all.

tiān bù cóng rén yuàn

Heaven does not abide by the wishes of people.

tiān zhù zì zhù

heaven helps those who help themselves

tiān zhù zì zhù zhě

heaven helps those who help themselves

hǎo hǎo xué xí tiān tiān xiàng shàng

study hard and you will improve day by day

出处: A 1951 dedication by Mao Zedong.

hǎo xīn méi hǎo bào

no good deed goes unpunished; those who help often end up being resented by those whom they help

直译: good-heartedness has no recompense

hǎo mǎ bù chī huí tóu cǎo

a smart person does not dwell on past actions; a true man never backtracks

直译: a good horse does not look back to eat grass

xīn jìng zì rán liáng

When the mind is still, you will be calm, cool and collected.

dǎ zhě ài yě

one who spanks does it out of love

rì jiǔ jiàn rén xīn

time reveals a person's heart; time will tell a true friend from a false one

yǒu lǐ zǒu biàn tiān xià

With justice on your side, you can go anywhere.

lái ér bù wǎng fēi lǐ yě

It is impolite not to reciprocate; Friendship cannot stand always on one side; It's impolite not to make a return for what one receives; One should return as good as one receives.

出处: From the Book of Rites, Book 1 (《禮記·曲禮上》)

lái shuō shì fēi zhě biàn shì shì fēi rén

People who like to talk about rumours are those who create rumours.

qiú rén bù rú qiú jǐ

it's better to rely on yourself than on the help of others; if you want a thing done well, do it yourself

dēng xià hēi

it's dark right under the lamp; people tend to overlook things right under their noses

bǎi nián shù rén

short for 十年樹木，百年樹人／十年树木，百年树人 (shínián shùmù, bǎinián shùrén, “it takes a long time for good education to bear fruit (i.e. to produce a competent person)”)

bǎi wén bù rú yī jiàn

💡 Зуун удаа сонссоноос нэг удаа өөрийн нүдээр үзсэн нь дээр.

直译: Hearing something one hundred times is not as good as seeing it once.

出处: From Zhao Chongguo in the 69ᵗʰ chapter of the Book of Han

xiàng jiàn hǎo tóng zhù nán

it is easy for people to meet each other but hard for them to live together peacefully

zhī rén zhī miàn bù zhī xīn

one may know a person from the outside but may not understand their true nature

直译: know the person, know the face, but not know the heart

lǐ duō rén bù guài

nobody will find fault with extra courtesy; courtesy costs nothing; you won't be blamed for being too polite

lǐ qīng qíng yì zhòng

💡 Бэлэг жижиг ч сэтгэл нь чухал.

dì yī mài bīng dì èr zuò yī shēng

a proverb on making money, reflecting the popularity of shaved ice, especially during the summer, and the relatively low skills needed to make it

直译: [to earn riches] first sell ice, then become a doctor

zhǐ bāo bù zhù huǒ

there is no concealing the truth; the truth will come out; murder will out

直译: fire cannot be wrapped up in paper

zhǐ lǐ bāo bù zhù huǒ

alternative form of 紙包不住火 /纸包不住火 (zhǐ bāo bùzhù huǒ, “there is no concealing the truth; the truth will come out”)

直译: Fire cannot be wrapped up in paper.

yáng máo chū zài yáng shēn shang

the benefits come from oneself; there's no such thing as a free lunch

直译: wool comes from a sheep's body

zì zhù zhě tiān zhù

heaven helps those who help themselves

xíng bǐ shuō shēng

actions speak louder than words

xíng bǎi lǐ zhě bàn yú jiǔ shí

alternative form of 行百里者半九十 (xíng bǎilǐ zhě bàn jiǔshí, “Things become more difficult when we approach closer to success”)

出处: From Zhanguoce

jiàn zhě yì xué zhě nán

easier said than done

直译: easy for the observer, difficult for the learner

yán bì xìn xíng bì guǒ

Promises must be kept and action must be resolute. / Always be true in word and resolute in deed.

出处: From the Analects, Book 13 (《論語·子路》)