“The prison is shut night and day, yet is always full; the temples are always open, yet you find no one in them.”
“He who lets things be given to him is not good at taking.”
“The dog in the kennel barks at his fleas, but the dog who is hunting does not feel them.”
“The finest roads are the shortest ones.”
“Man may bend to virtue, but virtue can not bend to man.”
“The wise man does not speak of all he does, but he does nothing that can not be spoken of.”
The Occidental manner of emphasizing a plea is: “If you don’t follow this advice, look out for the consequences.” Here is the Chinese phrase, as concluding Wu Ting Fang’s plea, in December, 1911, to the Prince Regent Chun to abdicate: “Our voice is hoarse and our tears are exhausted; no more can be said.” Their idiom for: “I’m not my own boss” is: “I eat another’s bread; I watch at the door.” More of their proverbs are:
“Who is he, though he never goes out, yet has seen all that is under the sky? The scholar among his books.”
“If the ruby is unpolished, it is not a gem.”
“Age for a sharp chin, and a sharp tongue.”