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.”