EXERCISES

(Translate into English)

(Translate into Chinese)

Notes.

LESSON XXXII
Proverbs

As is well known, the Chinese are very fond of proverbs. Their language is exceedingly rich with sententious sayings. They also make use of many felicitous expressions on New Year’s Day, at marriages, etc. Here is a short list of those in common use. Most of them are in literary style, but are used in ordinary speech.

一念之差終身之悔.
ih nyan° ts tsho tsoong sung ts hwe°.
The evil done in a moment’s thought may entail the repentance of a life time.

一言已出駟馬難追.
Ih yien i tsheh, s° °mo nan tsoe.
When a word has gone forth, four horses cannot overtake it.

一心舉念.
Ih sing °kyui nyan°.
A heart holding one thought; a mind set on one purpose.

一榻糊塗.
Ih thah oo-doo.
Everything in confusion.

吃人碗半, 由人使換喚.
Chuh zung °wen pen°, yeu *zung s° hwen°.
If you eat half a bowl of rice of another man, you thereby are placed under obligations.

*Note that the character for man is pronounced Nyung in the vernacular and Zung in the literary language.

皇天不負苦人心.
Waung Thien peh veu° °khoo zung sing.
Great Heaven never forgets the desire of a person in misery.

敗子回頭金不換.
Ba°-°ts we deu kyung peh wen°.
The repentance of a prodigal is more precious than gold.

推車撞之壁.
The tsho dzaung ts pih.
To wheel the cart against the wall,—equivalent to knock your head against a stone wall.

捨近而求遠.
So° °jung r jeu °yoen.
To forfeit what is near and seek what is far. It implies the folly of giving up the bird in the hand for the bird in the bush.

忘恩負義.
Vaung° ung veu° nyi°.
To forget benefits received.

順風扯旗.
Zung° foong °tsha ji.
To float the flag in the wind. This implies “to follow the crowd,” and applies to a person of weak character.

人心皆同.
Zung sing kya doong.
Human nature is one.

惡有惡報, 善有善報, 若使勿報, 時刻未到.
Auh °yeu auh pau°, °zen yeu °zen pau°, zak-s ’veh pau°, z khuk vi tau°.
Evil has an evil recompense—virtue has a good recompense. If the recompense does not appear, it is because the time has not yet arrived.

冤有頭, 債有生.
Ioen °yeu deu, tsa° °yeu tsu.
Enmity has a source, just as debt has a creditor.

欺人自欺自.
Chi zung z° chi z°.
To cheat others is to cheat oneself.

樹高千丈, 葉落歸根.
Zu° kau tshien °dzang, yih lauh kwe kung.
*Although the tree may be ten thousand feet high, its leaves fall down to the roots.

*This means that all, sooner or later, return to their original homes.

人面獸心.
Zung mien° sen° sing.
He has the face of a man and the heart of an animal.

看死捻鼻頭.
Khoen° °si nyah pih-deu.
To catch hold of the note of a man who is dying. Equivalent to the expression “To hit a man when he is down.”

落水搇.
Lauh °s chung.
To press a drowning man down in the water. This has much the same meaning as the preceding.

近朱者赤, 近墨者黑.
°Jung tsu tse tshuh, °jung muh tse huh.
Contact with red ink makes you red. Contact with black ink makes you black.

損人利己眞小人.
Sung zung li° kyi tsung °siau zung.
To injure another to benefit yourself, is the part of a mean fellow.

欺衆不欺一.
Chi °tsoong peh chi ih.
In dealing harshly with all, you do not deal harshly with any one in particular.

狗看滿天星.
°Keu khoen° °men thien sing.
The dog looks at the sky full of stars. This describes a stupid person who does not understand what he sees.

始終如一.
°S tsoong xu ih.
To continue the same from the beginning to the end.

半途而廢.
Pen° doo r fi.
To give up half-way.

謀事在人, 成事在天.
Meu z° dze zung, dzung z° dze thien.
Man contrives, God accomplishes. Equivalent to “Man proposeth, God disposeth.”

步步升高.
Boo°-boo° sang kau.
May you rise step by step.

壽比南山, 福如東海.
Zeu° °pi nen san, fok zu toong °he.
May your longevity be like the Southern Mountain, and your happiness like the Eastern Sea.

琴瑟調和.
Jung seh diau ‘oo.
May the harp and guitar harmonize. Note. This is a wedding wish, the harp and guitar signifying the bride and groom.

百年偕老.
Pak nyien kya °lau.
May you have happiness for a hundred year. A wedding wish.

成雙到老.
Dzung saung tau° °lau.
May the couple remain united until old age. A wedding wish.

稱心如意.
Tshung sing zu-i°.
May everything be according to your own wishes.

壽年千歲.
Zeu° nyien tshien soe°.
May you have a long life of a thousand years.

一路順風.
Ih loo° zung° foong.
May you have favorable winds journey.

恭喜發財.
Koong-°hyi fah ze.
*May wealth and happiness both be yours.

*This wish is often used at New Year’s time.

四季平安.
S° kyi° bing-oen.
May you have peace through the four seasons.