正文
譯事難， 難於上西天 - 來源: 畫蛇 於 08-07-27
蛇譯《增廣賢文》
昔時賢文，誨汝諄諄，集韻增文，多見多聞。
From the good olden days come these rules golden,
Unto which many a sage's pithy sayings are woven.
Rhymed or not, they are hereby collected and expanded -
May they now enrich your lives and broaden your horizon.
觀今宜鑒古，無古不成今。
Learn from history to be an observant student of current affairs;
After all, yesterday’s current affairs are today’s history.
知己知彼，將心比心。
Know whom we deal with, both close-by friends and far-away foes;
Act with passion and consideration - we are more alike than different.
酒逢知己飲，詩向會人吟。
Share a drink with soul mates, who understand us by heart;
Sing to seasoned rhyme-makers, who appreciate a good verse.
相識滿天下，知心能幾人。
One may have numerous acquaintances scattered around the world,
But how many of them does one count as true friends?
相逢好似初相識，到老終無怨恨心。
True friends one never tires of seeing; next meeting will be just like
The first, and never a complaining word on the shared journey through hunger and thirst.
近水知魚性，近山識鳥音。
Living close to water, by and by one gets to know the fish;
Making frequent trips to the mountains, one learns to hum the birds’ tunes.
易漲易退山溪水，易反易覆小人心。
Flash water comes and goes in an instant;
The petty-minded one shuns for their nature flippant.
運去金成鐵，時來鐵似金，讀書須用意，一字值千金。
In bad times, treasure turns into trash;
In times good, trash turns into treasure.
You up-and-comers, apply yourselves to studies,
For the only treasure is knowledge in disguise, in times good or bad.
逢人且說三分話，未可全拋一片心。
Think again when you next time feel the urge to pour out to strangers;
More often than not, a casual chat suffices to keep up appearances.
有意栽花花不發，無心插柳柳成陰。
Pretty flowers are finicky, denying the hardest-working florist the desired fruits of her love of labor;
Willows Wild, on the other hand, flourish in the least expected places, with little nurture.
畫虎畫皮難畫骨，知人知麵不知心。
Tiger-painters often end up with paintings only resembling the object;
When the task is to know a fellow human being, how much better can one expect?
錢財如糞土，仁義值千金。
Wealth is nothing but a pile of dirt;
For virtues, the wise is only too willing to part with his golden shirt.
流水下灘非有意，白雲出岫本無心。
Water rushing down the rapids does so not out of its own volition;
Just as mindless are the white clouds emerging from the misty valleys in slow motion.
當時若不登高望，誰信東流海洋深。
Until he set foot on the mountain top overlooking the river traveling east,
That the sea it joined ran deep he did not believe the least.
路遙知馬力，事久見人心。
Distance tests a horse’s staying power;
Time reveals men’s true character.
兩人一般心，無錢堪買金，一人一般心，有錢難買針。
Pulling together, a poverty-stricken couple can afford luxurious amenities;
Each to his/her own, once-wealthy, another couple will soon have to beg for necessities.
相見易得好，久住難為人。
It is easy for perfect strangers to be friends for one day;
After some time under the same roof, whether or not they remain friends is harder to say.
馬行無力皆因瘦，人不風流隻為貧。
Horses collapse on the wayside due to malnutrition;
Men fall short on popularity because of their destitute condition.
饒人不是癡漢，癡漢不會饒人。
He is nobody’s fool who lets bygones be bygones;
He who takes his grudges to the grave is a real fool.
是親不是親，非親卻是親。
Strange is when kinfolk act like perfect strangers,
And perfect strangers move you more than family members.
美不美，鄉中水，親不親，故鄉人。
Sweet is the water from the village well;
Endearing is a familiar face on foreign soil.
鶯花猶怕春光老，豈可教人枉度春。
If the streetwalkers still fret over their dwindling good looks,
Should not everyone else hurry to hit the books?
相逢不飲空歸去，洞口桃花也笑人。
Let others be the laughingstock of the peach blossom host;
I am determined to celebrate our reunion by downing one more toast.
紅粉佳人休使老，風流浪子莫教貧。
Young beauties, spare no effort to deter the unwelcome signs of old age;
Note those prodigals – once their family fortunes are gone, they are no freer than birds in the cage.
在家不會迎賓客，出外方知少主人。
Hosting skills are picked up at home at parents’ behest;
Away from home, one is left to fend as he can best.
黃金無假，阿魏無真。
What is real cannot be faked;
What is fake can never be real.
客來主不顧，應恐是癡人。
All guests deserve the highest respect;
Treating them equally with decorum requires no tact.
貧居鬧市無人問，富在深山有遠親。
A penniless soul in the city has only his shadow to keep him company;
A wealthy kin hidden deep in the mountains lacks no sycophancy.
誰人背後無人說，哪個人前不說人。
It is a fairy who leaves nothing behind for others to gossip about;
He is a sage who, however tempted, resists gossiping about others.
有錢道真語，無錢語不真。
True, at the right price, truth can be extracted from a reluctant mouth;
Nevertheless, words from those who can be bought are not to be trusted.
不信但看筵中酒，杯杯先勸有錢人。
For proof that money has its own worshippers, look no further than the banquet table – where it is always the wealthy to whom others flock to propose toast after toast.
鬧裏有錢，靜處安身。
Bustling locales are where one heads in search of riches;
Where quietness prevails offers one hiding niches.
來如風雨，去似微塵。
Sickness is deceiving in that it rolls in with a thunder and leaves without so much as a murmur;
It so appears only because one chooses to overlook all warning signs when the sickness started manifesting itself in a tremor.
長江後浪推前浪，世上新人趕舊人。
In the Yangtze, trailing ones push along the preceding waves;
In worldly affairs, up-comers race to replace the old knaves.
近水樓台先得月，向陽花木早逢春。
Water-butting pavilions are the first to greet the rising moon;
East-facing flowers get an early-start to welcome spring.
莫道君行早，更有早行人。
Think not you have started off the day’s travel early enough;
Look ahead – long before you, others have hit the road when the dewdrops were still hanging thick on the bough.
莫信直中直，須防仁不仁。
Take truth presented with even the utmost sincerity with a grain of salt;
Masked as kindness, unkindness trips the unsuspecting without fail.
山中有直樹，世上無直人。
A trip to the mountains finds many a tree with a rule-straight trunk;
In the real world as upright a folk is often nothing but bunk.
自恨枝無葉，莫怨太陽偏。
If one finds himself scorched like a leaf-less tree by a punishing sun,
Assign not blame to the sun’s discriminating viciousness.
大家都是命，半點不由人。
Fate is blind.
一年之計在於春，一日之計在於寅，
一家之計在於和，一生之計在於勤。
Spring is the time to plan for the year;
When the day is still young, think about when day-end is near.
Harmony in the family leads to happiness and prosperity,
When coupled with individual application and perspiration.
責人之心責己，恕己之心恕人。
Criticize oneself as one would criticize others;
Forgive others as one would forgive oneself.
守口如瓶，防意如城。
It takes a small effort to guard one’s ill-conceived words from slipping;
It is a much greater undertaking to guard one’s thoughts from straying.
寧可人負我，切莫我負人。
Let me be at the receiving end of injustice;
Just let me be not indefensible when called to face justice.
再三須慎意，第一莫欺心。
Of all cautions, the first and foremost one should heed is never engage in self-deception.
虎生猶可近，人熟不堪親。
A long-time acquaintance can be more deadly than a stranger tiger.
來說是非者，便是是非人。
The very bearer of relationship-wrecking tidings is himself a relationship-wrecker to be shunned at all cost.
遠水難救近火，遠親不如近鄰。
Water from a distant source is no help to a fire roaring nearby;
Kinship far away is no match of next-door neighbors when emergencies strike.
有茶有酒多兄弟，急難何曾見一人。
When tea and wine flow free, everyone is a brother;
In emergencies, a lesser friendship’s answer is “don’t bother.”
人情似紙張張薄，世事如棋局局新。
Choose friends wisely – most relationships are paper-thin;
Treat life as a chess game – unexpected moves are only to be expected.
山中也有千年樹，世上難逢百歲人。
In remote mountains, trees routinely thrive even after their 1000th year;
Humans, enduring wear and tear, seldom last beyond the century mark.
力微休負重，言輕莫勸人。
The weak is best to avoid heavy-lifting;
The light-weighted is best to avoid advice-gifting.
無錢休入眾，遭難莫尋親。
In poverty, stay away from high society;
In need, steer clear of kinship.
平生莫作皺眉事，世上應無切齒人。
He who lives by the golden rules has no enemies.
士者國之寶，儒為席上珍。
Intellectuals are a country’s invaluable asset;
A scholar’s very presence commands respect.
若要斷酒法，醒眼看醉人。
The best recipe for quitting drinking lies in the eyes of a sober man looking over a drunkard.
求人須求大丈夫，濟人須濟急時無。
Seek help only from the willing and generous;
Dispense succor to the needy in emergencies.
渴時一滴如甘露，醉後添杯不如無。
A drop of water tastes supreme to the thirsty;
A toast beyond drunkenness is best left unproposed.
久住令人賤，頻來親也疏。
Nothing cheapens friendship faster than overstaying one’s welcome;
Frequent visits with kinship turn close relations into strangers.
酒中不語真君子，財上分明大丈夫。
The honorable scandalizes not;
The upright embezzles not.
出家如初，成佛有餘。
Set you mind to a goal and persevere,
And it shall be only a matter of time when you will get there.
積金千兩，不如明解經書。
A thorough understanding of the Classics is worth more than a thousand ounces of gold.
養子不教如養驢，養女不教如養豬。
An uneducated son is no better than an ass;
An uneducated daughter is no better than a pig.
倉廩虛兮歲月乏，子孫愚兮禮義疏。
Life has something wanting when the granary is depleted;
Upbringing has something lacking when the offspring is uneducated.
同君一席話，勝讀十年書。
Why lock yourself up in a study for years when you can gain the same enlightenment by conversing with a learned man?
人不通今古，馬牛如襟裾。
An unlearned man is not much better than a suited-up beast.
茫茫四海人無數，哪個男兒是丈夫。
Of the myriads of human beings all over the world, how many are true heroes?
白酒釀成緣好客，黃金散盡為收書。
A good home-brewed wine is for entertaining distinguished guests;
A well-spent wealth is one dispensed to satisfy knowledge quest.
救人一命，勝造七級浮屠。
Save a life and you are in high heavens.
城門失火，殃及池魚。
Doomed are the fish that live in the pond just outside a burning city’s gate.
庭前生瑞草，好事不如無。
What with well-foreboding blades growing in the courtyards! - let others have all the omens;
I myself am quite content to have none of the nonsense.
欲求生富貴，須下死工夫。
If you ever dream about riches from rags,
Know that applying oneself is the only practical path.
百年成之不足，一旦敗之有餘。
It takes hundreds of years to build something truly great;
To destroy it, an instant is more than needed.
人心似鐵，官法如爐。
An individual is no match of the law.
善化不足，惡化有餘。
Do good and stop not;
Quit evil and continue to mend.
水太清則無魚，人至察則無徒。
Clear water spawns no fishesl
In recruiting followers, a sage has only unfulfilled wishes.
知者減半，省者全無。
Only half of us are above average;
The perfect, none.
在家由父，出家從夫。
A daughter defers to his father until she marries, when she defers to her husband.
癡人畏婦，賢女敬夫。
A foolish man lets his wife get the better of him;
A wise woman humors her husband’s whim.
是非終日有，不聽自然無。
No use to fight gossips – they are indeed everywhere;
Stay unswayed, and they are as good as heard nowhere.
寧可正而不足，不可邪而有餘。
Strive to be upright, and if you end up short, so be it;
Don’t be tempted by evil, less you regret later, when it is too late.
寧可信其有，不可信其無。
Prepare for the worst, and hope for the best.
竹籬茅舍風光好，道院僧堂終不如。
A family life lived in a lean-to beats a cloistered withdrawal from worldly affairs all the time.
命裏有時終須有，命裏無時莫強求。
What is yours will come to you by natural course;
What is not yours cannot taken by force.
道院迎仙客，書堂隱相儒。
Established abbeys welcome those pursuing other-worldly goals;
Gentlemen’s studies hide learned scholars worthy of lofty posts.
庭栽棲鳳竹，池養化龍魚。
Phoenixes nest high on the bamboos in the courtyard;
Palace-worthy fishes lend their touch of elegance by gracing the pond.
結交須勝己，似我不如無。
Make friends of only those who are one’s superior;
After all, one gains little by looking at one’s reflection in the mirror.
但看三五日，相見不如初。
A few days is all it takes for one to overstay one’s welcome.
人情似水分高下，世事如雲任卷舒。
All relationships are not the same, some more substantial than others;
Once well-versed in worldly affairs, come what may, one can handle with ease.
會說說都是，不會說無禮。
The glib get away with the crude;
The tongue-tied is chastised for being rude.
磨刀恨不利，刀利傷人指。
求財恨不得，財多害自己。
The knife-sharpener sharpens the knife only to nib his finger;
The riches-seeker hunts for wealth only to harm his wellbeing.
知足常足，終身不辱。
知止常止，終身不恥。
Know when you have had your fill and ask for no more, you live a life both wholesome and pleased;
Know when you have reached the limit and push no more, you leave behind a reputation pure and distinguished.
有福傷財，無福傷己。
Consider yourself fortunate if you suffered only material losses;
Much worse you would have been should physical harm have resulted.
差之毫厘，失之千裏。
Inches missed, miles apart resulted.
若登高必自卑，若涉遠必自邇。
One scales great heights by placing himself at the foot of the peaks;
One goes places by not thinking himself above trivial travails.
三思而行，再思可矣。
A good execution trumps a perfect plan.
使口不如自走，求人不如求己。
God helps those who help themselves.
小時是兄弟，長大各鄉裏。
Siblings grow apart;
Friends travel afar.
妒財莫妒食，怨生莫怨死。
One may hate wealth, but not food;
One may complain about living, but not death.
人見白頭嗔，我見白頭喜。
多少少年亡，不到白頭死。
While others dread old age, I am only too happy to see my hair turns salt and peppery;
Just think, many of our brethren die young and never reach old age!
牆有逢，壁有耳。
Beware of eavesdroppers.
好事不出門，惡事傳千裏。
Good news travels slowly;
Bad news travels only fast.
賊是小人，知過君子。
Hooligans never outgrow their small-mindedness;
Gentlemen learn from their imperfections.
君子固窮，小人窮斯濫也。
Gentlemen never compromise their character because of poverty;
The same cannot be said of the petty-minded.
貧窮自在，富貴多憂。
When one is poor, he often is worry-free; yet when he comes into wealth, he loses his birthright to a quiet night’s sleep.
不以我為德，反以我為仇。
Kindness sometimes is paid back with hatred.
寧向直中取，不可曲中求。
Engage in life’s pursuits by just means;
Ill-gotten gains will find a way back to haunt you.
人無遠慮，必有近憂。
Long-term plans help stave off imminent worries.
知我者為我心憂，不知我者謂我何求。
Those who share my ideals pray for my success;
Others accuse me of ulterior motives.
晴天不肯去，隻待雨淋頭。
Make hay while the sun shines.
成事莫說，覆水難收。
When you have accomplished something, enjoy a quiet moment of celebration;
You never know, but envious minds may make you regret your revelation.
是非隻為多開口，煩惱皆因強出頭。
From gossiping springs many a trouble;
To avoid headaches, refrain to run when you can only wobble.
忍得一時之氣，免得百日之憂。
An ounce of temperance in time saves many troubles down the road.
近來學得烏龜法，得縮頭時且縮頭。
Why are not men as smart as the turtle, who knows not to stick its head out when it sees trouble?
懼法朝朝樂，欺公日日憂。
Abide by the law, and live a happy and contented life;
Go your crooked ways, and every night will be a sleepless night.
人生一世，草生一春。
Life is short – make the most of it.
黑發不知勤學早，看看又是白頭翁。
When one is still young, he does not know the importance of getting a head start with his education;
When he finally realizes that something is amiss, it is only too late – white hair is already creeping up his elevation.
月到十五光明少，人到中年萬事休。
After the second quarter, the moon reflects a glimmer light by the night;
Past midlife, one may as well kiss his life-dreams good-bye.
兒孫自有兒孫福，莫為兒孫作馬牛。
Worrying about the offspring is often a hopeless undertaking,
Instead, why not have faith in providence: each is worthy only what he is making.
人生不滿百，常懷千歲憂。
Men seldom live beyond the century mark;
Yet they constantly worry about things ten times as afield in life’s park.
今朝有酒今朝醉，明日愁來明日憂。
Carpe diem - make haste and make merry!
If tomorrow shall bring worries, pray let they spoil not my high spirits now and here.
路逢險處難回避，事到頭來不自由。
Faced with a dilemma, back-pedaling is seldom is an option;
Freedom is something one creates by not getting into an impossible situation.
藥能醫假病，酒不解真愁。
If medicine can sometimes treat maladies out of stories,
Spirits are hardly the right remedy for genuine worries.
人貧不語，水平不流。
Poverty-shy souls keep their mouths shut;
Still water goes nowhere - up not and down not.
一家有女百家求，一馬不行百馬憂。
A hundred suitors go after one prize daughter is announced to be waiting (in the wings);
A hundred other horses become concerned when one star performer goes missing.
有花方酌酒，無月不登樓。
Flowers in bloom call for a feast of appreciation;
A full moon calls for a night out star-gazing.
三杯通大道，一醉解千愁。
Three shots deliver you to enlightenment;
A blackout sends a thousand worries to oblivion.
深山畢竟藏猛虎，大海終須納細流。
A mountain knows it has its name made when the fierce tiger calls it home;
A sea abides its time for recognition while accommodating every tributary coming to join its cause.
惜花須檢點，愛月不梳頭。
Embrace love and be respectful;
Appreciate beauty and be yourself.
大抵選他肌骨好，不擦紅粉也風流。
Natural beauties need no cosmetics.
受恩深處宜先退，得意濃時便可休。
Grace is showing gratitude at the receiving end of great kindness;
Achievement is success celebrated with little fanfare.
莫待是非來入耳，從前恩愛反為仇。
Marital bliss is best protected by turning a deaf ear to gossips.
留得五湖明月在，不愁無處下金鉤。
As long as the bright moon is sound and safe on the Five Lakes,
One needs not worry about his angling days being numbered.
休別有魚處，莫戀淺灘頭。
The fisherman drops his anchor wherever fishes gather;
He gathers his gear to move on whenever, due to water becoming shallow, fishes scatter.
去時終須去，再三留不住。
All good things come to an end.
忍一句，息一怒，饒一著，退一步。
Leave one agitated word unsaid;
Even instigated, keep one temper checked.
Forgive one move that offends;
Take one step back, however hurried.
三十不豪，四十不富，五十將來尋死路。
At thirty, it is time to reign in ambitions;
At forty, time to stop pining for unrealized wealth dreams;
And at fifty, time to make time for planning for when one is no longer breathing.
生不論魂，死不認屍。
Living, refrain from talking about the dead;
In death, what cares what becomes of the ashes in the shed.
父母恩深終有別，夫妻義重也分離。
Parental love, however tender, could see one only so far;
Marital commitment sometimes also comes to an end.
人生似鳥同林宿，大限來時各自飛。
Like the birds, we all happen to rest in the same woods on this night;
When the time comes, in different directions we hesitate not to scatter and flight.
人善被人欺，馬善被人騎。
The unassertive folks get picked on;
The submissive horses get ridden on.
人無橫財不富，馬無野草不肥。
Windfalls make a person rich;
Extra fodder keeps a horse in shape.
人惡人怕天不怕，人善人欺天不欺。
The ultimate judge sees all and discriminates against none.
善惡到頭終有報，隻爭來早與來遲。
Justice is blind – the day of reckoning comes for all.
黃河尚有澄清日，豈可人無得運時。
If the Yellow River has its clear-water days,
One surely needs not worry that his time will never come.
得寵思辱，安居慮危。
When in favor, plan for when being out of favor;
When in safety, mull over every potential danger.
念念有如臨敵日，心心常似過橋時。
Leave out of sight no vulnerabilities from enemy attacks;
Leave out of mind no precautions about walking on a bridge.
英雄行險道，富貴似花枝。
Heroes become heroes by risking theirs lives in doing what they do;
As flowers are ephemeral, wealth can vanish without so much a warning as an a-chou.
人情莫道春光好，隻怕秋來有冷時。
Relationships are like the season –
There are times good and bad, warm and cold.
送君千裏，終須一別。
I could have waited after traveling the first thousand miles with you;
Yet since parting ways is evitable, I might as well say good-bye here and now.
但將冷眼看螃蟹，看你橫行到幾時。
Allow me to sit on the sidelines watching with a disinterested eye;
Sooner rather than later, the day of reckoning will come for you, too, albeit so far you have only been riding high!
見事莫說，問事不知。
See things and say not a word;
Asked about things, you know not a thing.
閑事休管，無事早歸。
Steer clear of whatever does not you concern;
Return home as soon as you have no more to learn.
假緞染就真紅色，也被旁人說是非。
What is fake cannot be made real.
善事可作，惡事莫為。
Do good, and steer clear of evil.
許人一物，千金不移。
A promise made, a promise kept.
龍生龍子，虎生豹兒。
Like father, like son.
龍遊淺水遭蝦戲，虎落平陽被犬欺。
A fish out of water is no fish at all.
一舉首登龍虎榜，十年身到風凰池。
十年窗下無人問，一舉成名天下知。
Champions’ roads are paved with many years’ unacknowledged work.
酒債尋常行處有，人生七十古來稀。
Live debt-free, and you don’t have to pray for longevity.
養兒待老，積穀防饑。
Save for a rainy day.
雞豚狗彘之畜，無失其時。
數家之口，可以無饑矣。
Plant by the season, grow by the day,
And you just have kept hunger at bay.
常將有日思無日，莫把無時當有時。
An unearned penny is a penny you don’t have for spending.
時來風送騰王閣，運去雷轟薦福碑。
Fate is chance, and chance is finicky.
入門休問榮枯事，觀看容顏便得知。
Some may be better than others at hiding emotions;
All emotions, nevertheless, find a way to show on one’s face.
官清書吏瘦，神靈廟祝肥。
Judge an official by his clerks’ wellbeing;
Judge a worship house also by its clerks’ wellbeing.
息卻雷霆之怒，罷卻虎狼之威。
Thundering anger gets little accomplished;
Roaring show of power endears no one.
饒人算人之本，輸人算人之機。
Forgive to cultivate character;
Compromise for greater gains.
好言難得，惡語易施。
It is so very difficult to earn a kind word but only too easy to dispense a hurtful one.
一言既出，駟馬難追。
Watch your words – what is said can be retrieved.
道吾好者是吾賊，道吾惡者是吾師。
Beware of sabotage disguised in flatteries;
Welcome criticism meant to be correctives.
路逢俠客須呈劍，不是才人莫獻詩。
Show respect to an oncoming martial artist by displaying your instrument;
Observe decorum by not flaunting your masterpiece poems to non-poets.
三人同行，必有我師，擇其善者而從之，其不善者而改之。
One out of any three people is good enough to be one’s teacher. What one needs to do is learn from the good traits and check oneself against the bad ones that others exhibit.
少壯不努力，老大徒悲傷。
Failure to apply oneself in youth leads to regrets in old age.
人有善願，天必佑之。
God forbid that bad things shall happen to good people.
莫飲卯時酒，昏昏醉到酉。
莫罵酉時妻，一夜受孤淒。
A few early-morning drinks lay waste to an entire day’s plan;
A light-headed spousal squabble ruins a full night’s sleep.
種麻得麻，種豆得豆。
We reap what we sow.
天眼恢恢，疏而不漏。
Justice may be delayed, but not denied.
見官莫向前，做客莫在後。
Avoid appearing to curry favor with officials;
Be among the first guests to pay respects to deserving hosts.
寧添一鬥，莫添一口。
Go to a party invited only.
螳螂捕蟬，豈知黃雀在後。
The grasshopper preys on the unsuspecting cicada only to fall victim unawares to the calculating finch behind him.
不求金玉重重貴，但願兒孫個個賢。
I ask not to be as rich as Bill Gates or Warren Buffett;
All I ever wish is to have Solomon-wise children and grandchildren.
一日夫妻，百世姻緣。
Seeds of marital bliss were sown a hundred lives earlier.
百世修來同船渡，千世修來共枕眠。
We have a hundred lives’ worth of karma to thank for our riding on the same ferry today;
For sleeping in the same bed tonight, that of a thousand lives.
殺人一萬，自損三千。
Ten thousand kills on the enemy side are achieved at the cost of three thousand troops of one’s own.
傷人一語，利如刀割。
Unkind words can inflict as much as hurt as a knife wound.
枯木逢春猶再發，人無兩度再少年。
Weather-flattened plants shall come to life again when spring returns;
One’s youth, once gone, is gone for good.
未晚先投宿，雞鳴早看天。
Call for a hotel well before the sun sets;
Check the day’s weather as soon as the rooster stirs at the crack of dawn.
將相胸前堪走馬，公候肚裏好撐船。
People in high places did not get there for their small-mindedness.
富人思來年，窮人思眼前。
The rich can afford to plan for the distant future;
The financially-strapped have to cope with the present as best they can.
世上若要人情好，賒去物件莫取錢。
Small favors endear.
死生有命，富貴在天。
One cannot tamper with fate.
擊石原有火，不擊乃無煙。
Striking the flint properly produces sparks;
If you are yet to lift a finger, don’t complain about smokes not forthcoming.
為學始知道，不學亦徒然。
Knowledge comes from applying oneself to studying;
If one refuses to apply himself, surely nobody can force him to.
莫笑他人老，終須還到老。
但能依本分，終須無煩惱。
Hold your sniffing at the elderly until you yourself become old;
If you behave yourself, you will learn that aging is only natural.
君子愛財，取之有道。
貞婦愛色，納之以禮。
Wealth is good, and the honest people earn it through honorable means;
Sex is desirable, and the virtuous ladies approach it with decorum.
善有善報，惡有惡報。
不是不報，日子不到。
Good deeds beget good karma, and bad deeds beget bad karma;
In due time, the karma principle never fails, or misses.
人而無信，不知其可也。
If and when one loses his credibility, he has lost it all.
一人道好，千人傳實。
All wide-spread rumors start with one individual.
凡事要好，須問三老。
When in doubt, consult with the expert.
若爭小可，便失大道。
To avoid being pound-foolish, steer clear of being penny-wise.
年年防饑，夜夜防盜。
Guarding against famine is a yearly business;
Guarding against burglary, a nightly affair.
學者如禾如稻，不學者如蒿如草。
The difference between with education and without education is the difference between staple plants and wild weeds.
遇飲酒時須飲酒，得高歌處且高歌。
There are occasions for drinking and there are occasions for singing.
因風吹火，用力不多。
One saves breath by letting the wind help him fan the fir.
不因漁父引，怎得見波濤。
Let the fisherman lead one to where the waves are.
無求到處人情好，不飲從他酒價高。
Relationships flourish when one makes no demands;
Non-drinkers cannot care less about sky-rocketing wine prices.
知事少時煩惱少，識人多處是非多。
Worries grow with responsibilities;
Disputes increase with relationships.
入山不怕傷人虎，隻怕人情兩麵刀。
One dreads less fierce wild animals than double-dealing by the seemingly friendly.
強中更有強中手，惡人須用惡人磨。
Strongmen are strongmen only until they are bettered by yet stronger men;
Evil-doers only to doers of greater evil.
會使不在家豪富，風流不用著衣多。
Penny-pinchers don’t need a sizable family fortune to support a comfortable lifestyle;
Fashion greats don’t need a limitless wardrobe to buttress a personal style.
光陰似箭，日月如梭。
Time does not you or me wait.
天時不如地利，地利不如人和。
One can pray for favorable winds, one can play on geopolitical advantages, yet one’s most reliable help in any adventure remains to be cooperation from one’s corroborators.
黃金未為貴，安樂值錢多。
Contentedness is more precious than monetary wealth.
世上萬般皆下品，思量唯有讀書高。
Of all things obtainable under the sky, education tops them all in meaning and importance.
世間好語書說盡，天下名山僧占多。
All the great mountains are occupied by the monks;
All the pithy sayings are collected in the books.
為善最樂，為惡難逃。
It feels good to do good;
Guilt preys on conscience.
羊有跪乳之恩，鴉有反哺之義。
The lamb feeds at his mother’s breasts kneeling down;
The crow cares for its parents in old age by bringing them food.
你急他未急，人閑心不閑。
Anxiety does one little good when the time is not ripe;
Quiet preparation often accomplishes just as much.
隱惡揚善，執其兩端。
Seeing others do good, help spread the word;
Hearing about others’ imperfections, let them go out through the other ear.
妻賢夫禍少，子孝父心寬。
A wise wife helps keep her husband out of trouble;
A filial son gives his sire comfort.
既墜釜甑，反顧無益。
翻覆之水，收之實難。
It is no use lamenting over broken pots or crying over spilt milk.
人生知足何時足，人老偷閑且是閑。
Abundance is what one thinks it is;
Leisure is when one makes time for leisure.
但有綠楊堪係馬，處處有路透長安。
All roads lead to Rome.
見者易，學者難。
Easier said than done.
莫將容易得，便作等閑看。
Devil is in the detail.
用心計較般般錯，退步思量事事難。
The pursuit of perfection gets one nowhere.
道路各別，養家一般。
We may apply our different trades, but we all are to make a living and to raise a family.
從儉入奢易，從奢入儉難。
It is sweet to be able to move up; it is hell to have to move down;
知音說與知音聽，不是知音莫與彈。
Birds of the same feather flock together.
點石化為金，人心猶未足。
Greed is a bottomless pit.
信了肚，賣了屋。
One picks his own priority between the stomach and the roof.
他人觀花，不涉你目。
他人碌碌，不涉你足。
To each his own.
(Mind one’s own business.)
誰人不愛子孫賢，誰人不愛千鍾粟。
莫把真心空計較，五行不是這題目。
Everyone wishes his offspring were wise and well-educated;
Everyone hopes his household to be well-off and abundantly-provided.
Commonsense like this is granted to be universally true;
Should you wish not to waste time, debate on something more sophisticated.
與人不和，勸人養鵝。
與人不睦，勸人架屋。
A dispute can sometimes be settled amicably with a small gesture of kindness.
但行好事，莫問前程。
True charity needs no motivation.
河狹水急，人急計生。
Great ideas are born out of necessity.
明知山有虎，莫向虎山行。
Danger is no deterrent to heroism.
路不行不到，事不為不成。
All journeys start with the first step;
All edifices start with the first brick.
人不勸不善，鍾不打不鳴。
Everyone could use a little counsel/edging from time to time.
無錢方斷酒，臨老始看經。
Last-resort solutions are seldom good solutions.
點塔七層，不如暗處一燈。
A small lantern in the dark looks brighter than a seven-storey tower of light.
萬事勸人休瞞昧，舉頭三尺有神明。
Hide as one may, providence sees it all.
但存方寸土，留與子孫耕。
True legacy is not measured by size.
滅卻心頭火，剔起佛前燈。
A little spiritual life goes a long way to ease life’s disappointment.
惺惺常不足，懵懵作公卿。
The smart ones often wind up in want;
The dim ones sometimes luck up in high places
眾星朗朗，不如孤月獨明。
A night accompanied by a lone full-moon feels so much more beautiful than a starry sky.
兄弟相害，不如自生。
A brother at one’s throat is one sibling one could live without.
合理可作，小利莫爭。
Do only what is right and concern oneself not with matters of little consequence.
牡丹花好空入目，棗花雖小結實成。
Peony flowers are pleasing to the eye, but little date buds bear fruits in time.
欺老莫欺小，欺人心不明。
Mistreating the little ones is worse than doing it to the elderly;
Mistreat none and one has a clear conscience.
隨分耕鋤收地利，他時飽滿謝蒼天。
Be content living off one’s own two hands tilling the land;
A life of no need and no want is a fulfilled and rewarding one, amen!
得忍且忍，得耐且耐。
不忍不耐，小事成大。
Wait for one’s turn, and abide one’s time,
Less a little impatience lead to things getting out of hand.
相論逞英雄，家計漸漸退。
Compete with one’s inner self to get ahead;
Not against fellow brethren only to beat oneself dead.
賢婦令夫貴，惡婦令夫敗。
Behind every successful man is an equally successful woman.
一人有慶，兆民鹹賴。
When mommy is not happy, nobody is happy.
(When the sovereign suffers, each and every one of her subjects suffers.)
人老心未老，人窮誌莫窮。
Ambition discriminates against neither age nor economic status.
(If anything, one discriminates against himself when it comes to ambition.)
人無千日好，花無百日紅。
All good things come to an end.
殺人可恕，情理難容。
There just is no justification for taking a life.
乍富不知新受用，乍貧難改舊家風。
If the new-riches often don’t know how to start a new lifestyle,
The new-poors are much harder-pressed to rid their old spendthrift ways.
座上客常滿，樽中酒不空。
Guests fill up the seats at the table;
With the cellar well-stocked, wines flow free.
屋漏更遭連年雨，行船又遇打頭風。
When it rains, it pours.
筍因落籜方成竹，魚為奔波始化龍。
Every good thing comes to be at a cost.
記得少年騎竹馬，看看又是白頭翁。
It seems only yesterday when I was riding the rocking horse;
Now I see in the mirror an old man with peppery hair.
禮義生於富足，盜賊出於貧窮。
Virtues are often the luxury of the wealthy;
Many a thief owes his sticky fingers to poverty.
天上眾星皆拱北，世間無水不朝東。
All the stars line up to the North Star;
All the rivers travel east to join the Great Sea.
君子安平，達人知命。
Life is about finding one’s rightful station.
忠言逆耳利於行，良藥苦口利於病。
Good advice jars the ear;
Good medicine displeases the palate.
順天者存，逆天者亡。
Obey Mother Nature and thrive;
Disobey Mother Nature and pay your own price.
人為財死，鳥為食亡。
Man fights to death for the last nugget of gold;
Birds fight to death for the last peck of food.
夫妻相合好，琴瑟與笙簧。
A well-suited couple is one that produces harmonies music like a pair of complementing musical instruments.
有兒貧不久，無子富不長。
With a male heir, poverty shall be only short-lived;
Without a male heir, wealth never lasts very long.
善必壽老，惡必早亡。
Benevolent souls live to old ages;
Evil-doers die young.
爽口食多偏作藥，快心事過恐生殃。
Indulged with, delicious food turns into poison;
Celebrated without constraint, happy occasions lead to tragedy.
富貴定要安本分，貧窮不必枉思量。
In wealth, it is all the more important to observe high moral standards;
In poverty, it is likely unwise to fuss over formalities.
畫水無風空作浪，繡花雖好不聞香。
Wind-whipped water in paintings makes only make-believe waves;
However eye-pleasing, embroidered flowers give out no fragrance.
貪他一鬥米，失卻半年糧。
爭他一腳豚，反失一肘羊。
Penny-wise, pound-foolish.
龍歸晚洞雲猶濕，麝過春山草木香。
The presence of the truly great is still felt long after they are gone.
平生隻會量人短，何不回頭把自量。
When the pot calls the kettle black, it is time for the former to take a look in the mirror.
見善如不及，見惡如探湯。
Emulate others in doing good, and run from bad influence like retreating from scalding water.
人貧誌短，馬瘦毛長。
Financially-strapped folks cannot be very assertive;
Malnourished horses cannot be but in stubbly hair.
自家心裏急，他人未知忙。
Worries are best kept close to one’s chest.
貧無達士將金贈，病有高人說藥方。
If illness is mainly due to luck and often attracts charitable attention,
Poverty is often one’s own making and receives little sympathy.
觸來莫與說，事過心清涼。
Refrain from sharing not spur-of-the-moment sentiments;
All too often, once the moment passes, one no longer feels the same.
秋至滿山多秀色，春來無處不花香。
It is a beautiful season that pleases everyone.
凡人不可貌相，海水不可鬥量。
One errs in rendering judgment by appearance only;
True greatness cannot be measured with ordinary means.
清清之水，為土所防。
濟濟之士，為酒所傷。
A handful of dirt can make a pail of clear water murky;
An undisciplined drop of alcoholic drink can lead an otherwise upright man astray.
蒿草之下，或有蘭香。
茅茨之屋，或有侯王。
Right next to a bush of wild weeds may grow a precious fragrance;
Out of a humble abode may walk a man destined for high place.
無限朱門生餓殍，幾多白屋出卿。
Many a grand mansion has seen starved bodies;
Many a humble abode has produced men bound for high posts.
醉後乾坤大，壺中日月長。
With a little help from alcohol, one sees the world with an entirely different perspective.
萬事皆已定，浮生空白茫。
If all is predestined, surely no hustling of any kind can change anything.
千裏送毫毛，禮輕仁義重。
It is the thought that counts.
一人傳虛，百人傳實。
Repeated a hundred times, a falsehood gains a ring of truth.
世事明如鏡，前程暗似漆。
Perfect knowledge spoils a sense of adventure.
光陰黃金難買，一世如駒過隙。
Time is fair.
Life is short.
良田萬傾，日食一升。
大廈千間，夜眠八尺。
You cannot take it with you.
(You cannot take your money to the grave.)
千經萬典，孝義為先。
Of all the classics, the book of filial obligations comes first.
一字入公門，九牛拖不出。
Avoid lawsuits at all cost.
衙門八字開，有理無錢莫進來。
Justice is not blind – it favors the rich.
富從升合起，貧因不算來。
Frugal habits build wealth;
Poverty roots in carefree spending.
家中無才子，官從何處來。
The road to high places is built with education.
萬事不由人計較，一生都是命安排。
Plot as one may, when it really matters, fate always seems to have the final say.
急行慢行，前程隻有多少路。
On life’s journey, what matters is not how soon you get there but how you get there.
人間私語，天聞若雷。
暗室虧心，神目如電。
You may only whisper, yet the omni-prescient hears you loud and clear;
Your private trespass may be ever so slight, ye the omni-prescient sees it as in broad daylight.
一毫之惡，勸人莫作。
一毫之善，與人方便。
Refrain from doing the smallest evil, for the smallest evil is still evil;
Rush to aid the needy, who can use even the most trivial gesture of kindness.
欺人是禍，饒人是福。
Mistreating others invites retribution;
Forgiveness cultivates goodwill.
天眼恢恢，報應甚速
The day of reckoning comes quicker than one can blink an eye.
聖賢言語，神欽鬼伏。
The sages’ sayings represent the highest authority.
人各有心，心各有見。
Everyone carries his own head over his shoulders;
Everyone makes up his own mind.
口說不如身逢，耳聞不如目見。
Seeing is believing.
養軍千日，用在一朝。
A thousand days’ upkeep of a military is justified by one day’s deployment.
國清才子貴，家富小兒驕。
In times of peace, talent is exalted;
In wealthy families, discipline is neglected.
利刀割體痕易合，惡語傷人恨不消。
Knife wounds heal easily;
Not so with hurts inflicted by vicious personal attacks.
公道世間唯白發，貴人頭上不曾饒。
White hair is the only thing that is fair in this world,
Favoring not the celebrities with any less of it.
有錢堪出眾，無衣懶出門。
Parading before the public is a business reserved for the rich;
With shy wallets, the poor need to be dragged to leave home.
為官須作相，及第必爭先。
All officials aspire to the very top, which makes it all the more important to get a head start by out-competing fellow candidates at the initial selection.
苗從地發，樹向枝分。
Plants sprout up from the ground;
Trees branch out from the trunk.
父子和而家不退，兄弟和而家不分。
It is a thriving household where father and son get along well;
It is a prosperous household (business) where siblings (partners) stand by one another.
官有正條，民有和約。
Officials pronounce regulations and policies;
Communities make pacts and covenants.
閑時不燒香，急時抱佛腳。
Eleventh-hour efforts don’t get one very far.
幸生太平無事日，恐逢年老不多時。
One is fortunate to be born in peacetime;
Friends wish to have met each other when they were still young.
國亂思良將，家貧思賢妻。
Generals are missed in times of political instability;
Wives are missed in times of financial stress.
池塘積水須防旱，田地勤耕足養家。
When the ponds are full, it is easy to forget there are days of drought;
As long as the land is diligently attended to, one needs not worry about being unable to feed a family.
根深不怕風搖動，樹正無愁月影斜。
Buried deep in the ground, roots have no fear of the roaring winds;
Standing upright, trees cannot care less about the slanted shadows cast by the moon.
奉勸君子，各宜守己。
隻此程式，萬無一失。
You all praiseworthy readers, pray hear this respectful supplication:
Life is all about self-discipline, and stick to it we all must, regardless of our individual station.
Should we be wise enough to learn from the above pithy sayings reflecting life's golden rules,
At the end of life’s journey, however treacherous which may at times seem, we all shall be crowned with nothing but jewels.
蛇譯《增廣賢文》
昔時賢文，誨汝諄諄，集韻增文，多見多聞。
From the good olden days come these rules golden,
Unto which many a sage's pithy sayings are woven.
Rhymed or not, they are hereby collected and expanded -
May they now enrich your lives and broaden your horizon.
觀今宜鑒古，無古不成今。
Learn from history to be an observant student of current affairs;
After all, yesterday’s current affairs are today’s history.
知己知彼，將心比心。
Know whom we deal with, both close-by friends and far-away foes;
Act with passion and consideration - we are more alike than different.
酒逢知己飲，詩向會人吟。
Share a drink with soul mates, who understand us by heart;
Sing to seasoned rhyme-makers, who appreciate a good verse.
相識滿天下，知心能幾人。
One may have numerous acquaintances scattered around the world,
But how many of them does one count as true friends?
相逢好似初相識，到老終無怨恨心。
True friends one never tires of seeing; next meeting will be just like
The first, and never a complaining word on the shared journey through hunger and thirst.
近水知魚性，近山識鳥音。
Living close to water, by and by one gets to know the fish;
Making frequent trips to the mountains, one learns to hum the birds’ tunes.
易漲易退山溪水，易反易覆小人心。
Flash water comes and goes in an instant;
The petty-minded one shuns for their nature flippant.
運去金成鐵，時來鐵似金，讀書須用意，一字值千金。
In bad times, treasure turns into trash;
In times good, trash turns into treasure.
You up-and-comers, apply yourselves to studies,
For the only treasure is knowledge in disguise, in times good or bad.
逢人且說三分話，未可全拋一片心。
Think again when you next time feel the urge to pour out to strangers;
More often than not, a casual chat suffices to keep up appearances.
有意栽花花不發，無心插柳柳成陰。
Pretty flowers are finicky, denying the hardest-working florist the desired fruits of her love of labor;
Willows Wild, on the other hand, flourish in the least expected places, with little nurture.
畫虎畫皮難畫骨，知人知麵不知心。
Tiger-painters often end up with paintings only resembling the object;
When the task is to know a fellow human being, how much better can one expect?
錢財如糞土，仁義值千金。
Wealth is nothing but a pile of dirt;
For virtues, the wise is only too willing to part with his golden shirt.
流水下灘非有意，白雲出岫本無心。
Water rushing down the rapids does so not out of its own volition;
Just as mindless are the white clouds emerging from the misty valleys in slow motion.
當時若不登高望，誰信東流海洋深。
Until he set foot on the mountain top overlooking the river traveling east,
That the sea it joined ran deep he did not believe the least.
路遙知馬力，事久見人心。
Distance tests a horse’s staying power;
Time reveals men’s true character.
兩人一般心，無錢堪買金，一人一般心，有錢難買針。
Pulling together, a poverty-stricken couple can afford luxurious amenities;
Each to his/her own, once-wealthy, another couple will soon have to beg for necessities.
相見易得好，久住難為人。
It is easy for perfect strangers to be friends for one day;
After some time under the same roof, whether or not they remain friends is harder to say.
馬行無力皆因瘦，人不風流隻為貧。
Horses collapse on the wayside due to malnutrition;
Men fall short on popularity because of their destitute condition.
饒人不是癡漢，癡漢不會饒人。
He is nobody’s fool who lets bygones be bygones;
He who takes his grudges to the grave is a real fool.
是親不是親，非親卻是親。
Strange is when kinfolk act like perfect strangers,
And perfect strangers move you more than family members.
美不美，鄉中水，親不親，故鄉人。
Sweet is the water from the village well;
Endearing is a familiar face on foreign soil.
鶯花猶怕春光老，豈可教人枉度春。
If the streetwalkers still fret over their dwindling good looks,
Should not everyone else hurry to hit the books?
相逢不飲空歸去，洞口桃花也笑人。
Let others be the laughingstock of the peach blossom host;
I am determined to celebrate our reunion by downing one more toast.
紅粉佳人休使老，風流浪子莫教貧。
Young beauties, spare no effort to deter the unwelcome signs of old age;
Note those prodigals – once their family fortunes are gone, they are no freer than birds in the cage.
在家不會迎賓客，出外方知少主人。
Hosting skills are picked up at home at parents’ behest;
Away from home, one is left to fend as he can best.
黃金無假，阿魏無真。
What is real cannot be faked;
What is fake can never be real.
客來主不顧，應恐是癡人。
All guests deserve the highest respect;
Treating them equally with decorum requires no tact.
貧居鬧市無人問，富在深山有遠親。
A penniless soul in the city has only his shadow to keep him company;
A wealthy kin hidden deep in the mountains lacks no sycophancy.
誰人背後無人說，哪個人前不說人。
It is a fairy who leaves nothing behind for others to gossip about;
He is a sage who, however tempted, resists gossiping about others.
有錢道真語，無錢語不真。
True, at the right price, truth can be extracted from a reluctant mouth;
Nevertheless, words from those who can be bought are not to be trusted.
不信但看筵中酒，杯杯先勸有錢人。
For proof that money has its own worshippers, look no further than the banquet table – where it is always the wealthy to whom others flock to propose toast after toast.
鬧裏有錢，靜處安身。
Bustling locales are where one heads in search of riches;
Where quietness prevails offers one hiding niches.
來如風雨，去似微塵。
Sickness is deceiving in that it rolls in with a thunder and leaves without so much as a murmur;
It so appears only because one chooses to overlook all warning signs when the sickness started manifesting itself in a tremor.
長江後浪推前浪，世上新人趕舊人。
In the Yangtze, trailing ones push along the preceding waves;
In worldly affairs, up-comers race to replace the old knaves.
近水樓台先得月，向陽花木早逢春。
Water-butting pavilions are the first to greet the rising moon;
East-facing flowers get an early-start to welcome spring.
莫道君行早，更有早行人。
Think not you have started off the day’s travel early enough;
Look ahead – long before you, others have hit the road when the dewdrops were still hanging thick on the bough.
莫信直中直，須防仁不仁。
Take truth presented with even the utmost sincerity with a grain of salt;
Masked as kindness, unkindness trips the unsuspecting without fail.
山中有直樹，世上無直人。
A trip to the mountains finds many a tree with a rule-straight trunk;
In the real world as upright a folk is often nothing but bunk.
自恨枝無葉，莫怨太陽偏。
If one finds himself scorched like a leaf-less tree by a punishing sun,
Assign not blame to the sun’s discriminating viciousness.
大家都是命，半點不由人。
Fate is blind.
一年之計在於春，一日之計在於寅，
一家之計在於和，一生之計在於勤。
Spring is the time to plan for the year;
When the day is still young, think about when day-end is near.
Harmony in the family leads to happiness and prosperity,
When coupled with individual application and perspiration.
責人之心責己，恕己之心恕人。
Criticize oneself as one would criticize others;
Forgive others as one would forgive oneself.
守口如瓶，防意如城。
It takes a small effort to guard one’s ill-conceived words from slipping;
It is a much greater undertaking to guard one’s thoughts from straying.
寧可人負我，切莫我負人。
Let me be at the receiving end of injustice;
Just let me be not indefensible when called to face justice.
再三須慎意，第一莫欺心。
Of all cautions, the first and foremost one should heed is never engage in self-deception.
虎生猶可近，人熟不堪親。
A long-time acquaintance can be more deadly than a stranger tiger.
來說是非者，便是是非人。
The very bearer of relationship-wrecking tidings is himself a relationship-wrecker to be shunned at all cost.
遠水難救近火，遠親不如近鄰。
Water from a distant source is no help to a fire roaring nearby;
Kinship far away is no match of next-door neighbors when emergencies strike.
有茶有酒多兄弟，急難何曾見一人。
When tea and wine flow free, everyone is a brother;
In emergencies, a lesser friendship’s answer is “don’t bother.”
人情似紙張張薄，世事如棋局局新。
Choose friends wisely – most relationships are paper-thin;
Treat life as a chess game – unexpected moves are only to be expected.
山中也有千年樹，世上難逢百歲人。
In remote mountains, trees routinely thrive even after their 1000th year;
Humans, enduring wear and tear, seldom last beyond the century mark.
力微休負重，言輕莫勸人。
The weak is best to avoid heavy-lifting;
The light-weighted is best to avoid advice-gifting.
無錢休入眾，遭難莫尋親。
In poverty, stay away from high society;
In need, steer clear of kinship.
平生莫作皺眉事，世上應無切齒人。
He who lives by the golden rules has no enemies.
士者國之寶，儒為席上珍。
Intellectuals are a country’s invaluable asset;
A scholar’s very presence commands respect.
若要斷酒法，醒眼看醉人。
The best recipe for quitting drinking lies in the eyes of a sober man looking over a drunkard.
求人須求大丈夫，濟人須濟急時無。
Seek help only from the willing and generous;
Dispense succor to the needy in emergencies.
渴時一滴如甘露，醉後添杯不如無。
A drop of water tastes supreme to the thirsty;
A toast beyond drunkenness is best left unproposed.
久住令人賤，頻來親也疏。
Nothing cheapens friendship faster than overstaying one’s welcome;
Frequent visits with kinship turn close relations into strangers.
酒中不語真君子，財上分明大丈夫。
The honorable scandalizes not;
The upright embezzles not.
出家如初，成佛有餘。
Set you mind to a goal and persevere,
And it shall be only a matter of time when you will get there.
積金千兩，不如明解經書。
A thorough understanding of the Classics is worth more than a thousand ounces of gold.
養子不教如養驢，養女不教如養豬。
An uneducated son is no better than an ass;
An uneducated daughter is no better than a pig.
倉廩虛兮歲月乏，子孫愚兮禮義疏。
Life has something wanting when the granary is depleted;
Upbringing has something lacking when the offspring is uneducated.
同君一席話，勝讀十年書。
Why lock yourself up in a study for years when you can gain the same enlightenment by conversing with a learned man?
人不通今古，馬牛如襟裾。
An unlearned man is not much better than a suited-up beast.
茫茫四海人無數，哪個男兒是丈夫。
Of the myriads of human beings all over the world, how many are true heroes?
白酒釀成緣好客，黃金散盡為收書。
A good home-brewed wine is for entertaining distinguished guests;
A well-spent wealth is one dispensed to satisfy knowledge quest.
救人一命，勝造七級浮屠。
Save a life and you are in high heavens.
城門失火，殃及池魚。
Doomed are the fish that live in the pond just outside a burning city’s gate.
庭前生瑞草，好事不如無。
What with well-foreboding blades growing in the courtyards! - let others have all the omens;
I myself am quite content to have none of the nonsense.
欲求生富貴，須下死工夫。
If you ever dream about riches from rags,
Know that applying oneself is the only practical path.
百年成之不足，一旦敗之有餘。
It takes hundreds of years to build something truly great;
To destroy it, an instant is more than needed.
人心似鐵，官法如爐。
An individual is no match of the law.
善化不足，惡化有餘。
Do good and stop not;
Quit evil and continue to mend.
水太清則無魚，人至察則無徒。
Clear water spawns no fishesl
In recruiting followers, a sage has only unfulfilled wishes.
知者減半，省者全無。
Only half of us are above average;
The perfect, none.
在家由父，出家從夫。
A daughter defers to his father until she marries, when she defers to her husband.
癡人畏婦，賢女敬夫。
A foolish man lets his wife get the better of him;
A wise woman humors her husband’s whim.
是非終日有，不聽自然無。
No use to fight gossips – they are indeed everywhere;
Stay unswayed, and they are as good as heard nowhere.
寧可正而不足，不可邪而有餘。
Strive to be upright, and if you end up short, so be it;
Don’t be tempted by evil, less you regret later, when it is too late.
寧可信其有，不可信其無。
Prepare for the worst, and hope for the best.
竹籬茅舍風光好，道院僧堂終不如。
A family life lived in a lean-to beats a cloistered withdrawal from worldly affairs all the time.
命裏有時終須有，命裏無時莫強求。
What is yours will come to you by natural course;
What is not yours cannot taken by force.
道院迎仙客，書堂隱相儒。
Established abbeys welcome those pursuing other-worldly goals;
Gentlemen’s studies hide learned scholars worthy of lofty posts.
庭栽棲鳳竹，池養化龍魚。
Phoenixes nest high on the bamboos in the courtyard;
Palace-worthy fishes lend their touch of elegance by gracing the pond.
結交須勝己，似我不如無。
Make friends of only those who are one’s superior;
After all, one gains little by looking at one’s reflection in the mirror.
但看三五日，相見不如初。
A few days is all it takes for one to overstay one’s welcome.
人情似水分高下，世事如雲任卷舒。
All relationships are not the same, some more substantial than others;
Once well-versed in worldly affairs, come what may, one can handle with ease.
會說說都是，不會說無禮。
The glib get away with the crude;
The tongue-tied is chastised for being rude.
磨刀恨不利，刀利傷人指。
求財恨不得，財多害自己。
The knife-sharpener sharpens the knife only to nib his finger;
The riches-seeker hunts for wealth only to harm his wellbeing.
知足常足，終身不辱。
知止常止，終身不恥。
Know when you have had your fill and ask for no more, you live a life both wholesome and pleased;
Know when you have reached the limit and push no more, you leave behind a reputation pure and distinguished.
有福傷財，無福傷己。
Consider yourself fortunate if you suffered only material losses;
Much worse you would have been should physical harm have resulted.
差之毫厘，失之千裏。
Inches missed, miles apart resulted.
若登高必自卑，若涉遠必自邇。
One scales great heights by placing himself at the foot of the peaks;
One goes places by not thinking himself above trivial travails.
三思而行，再思可矣。
A good execution trumps a perfect plan.
使口不如自走，求人不如求己。
God helps those who help themselves.
小時是兄弟，長大各鄉裏。
Siblings grow apart;
Friends travel afar.
妒財莫妒食，怨生莫怨死。
One may hate wealth, but not food;
One may complain about living, but not death.
人見白頭嗔，我見白頭喜。
多少少年亡，不到白頭死。
While others dread old age, I am only too happy to see my hair turns salt and peppery;
Just think, many of our brethren die young and never reach old age!
牆有逢，壁有耳。
Beware of eavesdroppers.
好事不出門，惡事傳千裏。
Good news travels slowly;
Bad news travels only fast.
賊是小人，知過君子。
Hooligans never outgrow their small-mindedness;
Gentlemen learn from their imperfections.
君子固窮，小人窮斯濫也。
Gentlemen never compromise their character because of poverty;
The same cannot be said of the petty-minded.
貧窮自在，富貴多憂。
When one is poor, he often is worry-free; yet when he comes into wealth, he loses his birthright to a quiet night’s sleep.
不以我為德，反以我為仇。
Kindness sometimes is paid back with hatred.
寧向直中取，不可曲中求。
Engage in life’s pursuits by just means;
Ill-gotten gains will find a way back to haunt you.
人無遠慮，必有近憂。
Long-term plans help stave off imminent worries.
知我者為我心憂，不知我者謂我何求。
Those who share my ideals pray for my success;
Others accuse me of ulterior motives.
晴天不肯去，隻待雨淋頭。
Make hay while the sun shines.
成事莫說，覆水難收。
When you have accomplished something, enjoy a quiet moment of celebration;
You never know, but envious minds may make you regret your revelation.
是非隻為多開口，煩惱皆因強出頭。
From gossiping springs many a trouble;
To avoid headaches, refrain to run when you can only wobble.
忍得一時之氣，免得百日之憂。
An ounce of temperance in time saves many troubles down the road.
近來學得烏龜法，得縮頭時且縮頭。
Why are not men as smart as the turtle, who knows not to stick its head out when it sees trouble?
懼法朝朝樂，欺公日日憂。
Abide by the law, and live a happy and contented life;
Go your crooked ways, and every night will be a sleepless night.
人生一世，草生一春。
Life is short – make the most of it.
黑發不知勤學早，看看又是白頭翁。
When one is still young, he does not know the importance of getting a head start with his education;
When he finally realizes that something is amiss, it is only too late – white hair is already creeping up his elevation.
月到十五光明少，人到中年萬事休。
After the second quarter, the moon reflects a glimmer light by the night;
Past midlife, one may as well kiss his life-dreams good-bye.
兒孫自有兒孫福，莫為兒孫作馬牛。
Worrying about the offspring is often a hopeless undertaking,
Instead, why not have faith in providence: each is worthy only what he is making.
人生不滿百，常懷千歲憂。
Men seldom live beyond the century mark;
Yet they constantly worry about things ten times as afield in life’s park.
今朝有酒今朝醉，明日愁來明日憂。
Carpe diem - make haste and make merry!
If tomorrow shall bring worries, pray let they spoil not my high spirits now and here.
路逢險處難回避，事到頭來不自由。
Faced with a dilemma, back-pedaling is seldom is an option;
Freedom is something one creates by not getting into an impossible situation.
藥能醫假病，酒不解真愁。
If medicine can sometimes treat maladies out of stories,
Spirits are hardly the right remedy for genuine worries.
人貧不語，水平不流。
Poverty-shy souls keep their mouths shut;
Still water goes nowhere - up not and down not.
一家有女百家求，一馬不行百馬憂。
A hundred suitors go after one prize daughter is announced to be waiting (in the wings);
A hundred other horses become concerned when one star performer goes missing.
有花方酌酒，無月不登樓。
Flowers in bloom call for a feast of appreciation;
A full moon calls for a night out star-gazing.
三杯通大道，一醉解千愁。
Three shots deliver you to enlightenment;
A blackout sends a thousand worries to oblivion.
深山畢竟藏猛虎，大海終須納細流。
A mountain knows it has its name made when the fierce tiger calls it home;
A sea abides its time for recognition while accommodating every tributary coming to join its cause.
惜花須檢點，愛月不梳頭。
Embrace love and be respectful;
Appreciate beauty and be yourself.
大抵選他肌骨好，不擦紅粉也風流。
Natural beauties need no cosmetics.
受恩深處宜先退，得意濃時便可休。
Grace is showing gratitude at the receiving end of great kindness;
Achievement is success celebrated with little fanfare.
莫待是非來入耳，從前恩愛反為仇。
Marital bliss is best protected by turning a deaf ear to gossips.
留得五湖明月在，不愁無處下金鉤。
As long as the bright moon is sound and safe on the Five Lakes,
One needs not worry about his angling days being numbered.
休別有魚處，莫戀淺灘頭。
The fisherman drops his anchor wherever fishes gather;
He gathers his gear to move on whenever, due to water becoming shallow, fishes scatter.
去時終須去，再三留不住。
All good things come to an end.
忍一句，息一怒，饒一著，退一步。
Leave one agitated word unsaid;
Even instigated, keep one temper checked.
Forgive one move that offends;
Take one step back, however hurried.
三十不豪，四十不富，五十將來尋死路。
At thirty, it is time to reign in ambitions;
At forty, time to stop pining for unrealized wealth dreams;
And at fifty, time to make time for planning for when one is no longer breathing.
生不論魂，死不認屍。
Living, refrain from talking about the dead;
In death, what cares what becomes of the ashes in the shed.
父母恩深終有別，夫妻義重也分離。
Parental love, however tender, could see one only so far;
Marital commitment sometimes also comes to an end.
人生似鳥同林宿，大限來時各自飛。
Like the birds, we all happen to rest in the same woods on this night;
When the time comes, in different directions we hesitate not to scatter and flight.
人善被人欺，馬善被人騎。
The unassertive folks get picked on;
The submissive horses get ridden on.
人無橫財不富，馬無野草不肥。
Windfalls make a person rich;
Extra fodder keeps a horse in shape.
人惡人怕天不怕，人善人欺天不欺。
The ultimate judge sees all and discriminates against none.
善惡到頭終有報，隻爭來早與來遲。
Justice is blind – the day of reckoning comes for all.
黃河尚有澄清日，豈可人無得運時。
If the Yellow River has its clear-water days,
One surely needs not worry that his time will never come.
得寵思辱，安居慮危。
When in favor, plan for when being out of favor;
When in safety, mull over every potential danger.
念念有如臨敵日，心心常似過橋時。
Leave out of sight no vulnerabilities from enemy attacks;
Leave out of mind no precautions about walking on a bridge.
英雄行險道，富貴似花枝。
Heroes become heroes by risking theirs lives in doing what they do;
As flowers are ephemeral, wealth can vanish without so much a warning as an a-chou.
人情莫道春光好，隻怕秋來有冷時。
Relationships are like the season –
There are times good and bad, warm and cold.
送君千裏，終須一別。
I could have waited after traveling the first thousand miles with you;
Yet since parting ways is evitable, I might as well say good-bye here and now.
但將冷眼看螃蟹，看你橫行到幾時。
Allow me to sit on the sidelines watching with a disinterested eye;
Sooner rather than later, the day of reckoning will come for you, too, albeit so far you have only been riding high!
見事莫說，問事不知。
See things and say not a word;
Asked about things, you know not a thing.
閑事休管，無事早歸。
Steer clear of whatever does not you concern;
Return home as soon as you have no more to learn.
假緞染就真紅色，也被旁人說是非。
What is fake cannot be made real.
善事可作，惡事莫為。
Do good, and steer clear of evil.
許人一物，千金不移。
A promise made, a promise kept.
龍生龍子，虎生豹兒。
Like father, like son.
龍遊淺水遭蝦戲，虎落平陽被犬欺。
A fish out of water is no fish at all.
一舉首登龍虎榜，十年身到風凰池。
十年窗下無人問，一舉成名天下知。
Champions’ roads are paved with many years’ unacknowledged work.
酒債尋常行處有，人生七十古來稀。
Live debt-free, and you don’t have to pray for longevity.
養兒待老，積穀防饑。
Save for a rainy day.
雞豚狗彘之畜，無失其時。
數家之口，可以無饑矣。
Plant by the season, grow by the day,
And you just have kept hunger at bay.
常將有日思無日，莫把無時當有時。
An unearned penny is a penny you don’t have for spending.
時來風送騰王閣，運去雷轟薦福碑。
Fate is chance, and chance is finicky.
入門休問榮枯事，觀看容顏便得知。
Some may be better than others at hiding emotions;
All emotions, nevertheless, find a way to show on one’s face.
官清書吏瘦，神靈廟祝肥。
Judge an official by his clerks’ wellbeing;
Judge a worship house also by its clerks’ wellbeing.
息卻雷霆之怒，罷卻虎狼之威。
Thundering anger gets little accomplished;
Roaring show of power endears no one.
饒人算人之本，輸人算人之機。
Forgive to cultivate character;
Compromise for greater gains.
好言難得，惡語易施。
It is so very difficult to earn a kind word but only too easy to dispense a hurtful one.
一言既出，駟馬難追。
Watch your words – what is said can be retrieved.
道吾好者是吾賊，道吾惡者是吾師。
Beware of sabotage disguised in flatteries;
Welcome criticism meant to be correctives.
路逢俠客須呈劍，不是才人莫獻詩。
Show respect to an oncoming martial artist by displaying your instrument;
Observe decorum by not flaunting your masterpiece poems to non-poets.
三人同行，必有我師，擇其善者而從之，其不善者而改之。
One out of any three people is good enough to be one’s teacher. What one needs to do is learn from the good traits and check oneself against the bad ones that others exhibit.
少壯不努力，老大徒悲傷。
Failure to apply oneself in youth leads to regrets in old age.
人有善願，天必佑之。
God forbid that bad things shall happen to good people.
莫飲卯時酒，昏昏醉到酉。
莫罵酉時妻，一夜受孤淒。
A few early-morning drinks lay waste to an entire day’s plan;
A light-headed spousal squabble ruins a full night’s sleep.
種麻得麻，種豆得豆。
We reap what we sow.
天眼恢恢，疏而不漏。
Justice may be delayed, but not denied.
見官莫向前，做客莫在後。
Avoid appearing to curry favor with officials;
Be among the first guests to pay respects to deserving hosts.
寧添一鬥，莫添一口。
Go to a party invited only.
螳螂捕蟬，豈知黃雀在後。
The grasshopper preys on the unsuspecting cicada only to fall victim unawares to the calculating finch behind him.
不求金玉重重貴，但願兒孫個個賢。
I ask not to be as rich as Bill Gates or Warren Buffett;
All I ever wish is to have Solomon-wise children and grandchildren.
一日夫妻，百世姻緣。
Seeds of marital bliss were sown a hundred lives earlier.
百世修來同船渡，千世修來共枕眠。
We have a hundred lives’ worth of karma to thank for our riding on the same ferry today;
For sleeping in the same bed tonight, that of a thousand lives.
殺人一萬，自損三千。
Ten thousand kills on the enemy side are achieved at the cost of three thousand troops of one’s own.
傷人一語，利如刀割。
Unkind words can inflict as much as hurt as a knife wound.
枯木逢春猶再發，人無兩度再少年。
Weather-flattened plants shall come to life again when spring returns;
One’s youth, once gone, is gone for good.
未晚先投宿，雞鳴早看天。
Call for a hotel well before the sun sets;
Check the day’s weather as soon as the rooster stirs at the crack of dawn.
將相胸前堪走馬，公候肚裏好撐船。
People in high places did not get there for their small-mindedness.
富人思來年，窮人思眼前。
The rich can afford to plan for the distant future;
The financially-strapped have to cope with the present as best they can.
世上若要人情好，賒去物件莫取錢。
Small favors endear.
死生有命，富貴在天。
One cannot tamper with fate.
擊石原有火，不擊乃無煙。
Striking the flint properly produces sparks;
If you are yet to lift a finger, don’t complain about smokes not forthcoming.
為學始知道，不學亦徒然。
Knowledge comes from applying oneself to studying;
If one refuses to apply himself, surely nobody can force him to.
莫笑他人老，終須還到老。
但能依本分，終須無煩惱。
Hold your sniffing at the elderly until you yourself become old;
If you behave yourself, you will learn that aging is only natural.
君子愛財，取之有道。
貞婦愛色，納之以禮。
Wealth is good, and the honest people earn it through honorable means;
Sex is desirable, and the virtuous ladies approach it with decorum.
善有善報，惡有惡報。
不是不報，日子不到。
Good deeds beget good karma, and bad deeds beget bad karma;
In due time, the karma principle never fails, or misses.
人而無信，不知其可也。
If and when one loses his credibility, he has lost it all.
一人道好，千人傳實。
All wide-spread rumors start with one individual.
凡事要好，須問三老。
When in doubt, consult with the expert.
若爭小可，便失大道。
To avoid being pound-foolish, steer clear of being penny-wise.
年年防饑，夜夜防盜。
Guarding against famine is a yearly business;
Guarding against burglary, a nightly affair.
學者如禾如稻，不學者如蒿如草。
The difference between with education and without education is the difference between staple plants and wild weeds.
遇飲酒時須飲酒，得高歌處且高歌。
There are occasions for drinking and there are occasions for singing.
因風吹火，用力不多。
One saves breath by letting the wind help him fan the fir.
不因漁父引，怎得見波濤。
Let the fisherman lead one to where the waves are.
無求到處人情好，不飲從他酒價高。
Relationships flourish when one makes no demands;
Non-drinkers cannot care less about sky-rocketing wine prices.
知事少時煩惱少，識人多處是非多。
Worries grow with responsibilities;
Disputes increase with relationships.
入山不怕傷人虎，隻怕人情兩麵刀。
One dreads less fierce wild animals than double-dealing by the seemingly friendly.
強中更有強中手，惡人須用惡人磨。
Strongmen are strongmen only until they are bettered by yet stronger men;
Evil-doers only to doers of greater evil.
會使不在家豪富，風流不用著衣多。
Penny-pinchers don’t need a sizable family fortune to support a comfortable lifestyle;
Fashion greats don’t need a limitless wardrobe to buttress a personal style.
光陰似箭，日月如梭。
Time does not you or me wait.
天時不如地利，地利不如人和。
One can pray for favorable winds, one can play on geopolitical advantages, yet one’s most reliable help in any adventure remains to be cooperation from one’s corroborators.
黃金未為貴，安樂值錢多。
Contentedness is more precious than monetary wealth.
世上萬般皆下品，思量唯有讀書高。
Of all things obtainable under the sky, education tops them all in meaning and importance.
世間好語書說盡，天下名山僧占多。
All the great mountains are occupied by the monks;
All the pithy sayings are collected in the books.
為善最樂，為惡難逃。
It feels good to do good;
Guilt preys on conscience.
羊有跪乳之恩，鴉有反哺之義。
The lamb feeds at his mother’s breasts kneeling down;
The crow cares for its parents in old age by bringing them food.
你急他未急，人閑心不閑。
Anxiety does one little good when the time is not ripe;
Quiet preparation often accomplishes just as much.
隱惡揚善，執其兩端。
Seeing others do good, help spread the word;
Hearing about others’ imperfections, let them go out through the other ear.
妻賢夫禍少，子孝父心寬。
A wise wife helps keep her husband out of trouble;
A filial son gives his sire comfort.
既墜釜甑，反顧無益。
翻覆之水，收之實難。
It is no use lamenting over broken pots or crying over spilt milk.
人生知足何時足，人老偷閑且是閑。
Abundance is what one thinks it is;
Leisure is when one makes time for leisure.
但有綠楊堪係馬，處處有路透長安。
All roads lead to Rome.
見者易，學者難。
Easier said than done.
莫將容易得，便作等閑看。
Devil is in the detail.
用心計較般般錯，退步思量事事難。
The pursuit of perfection gets one nowhere.
道路各別，養家一般。
We may apply our different trades, but we all are to make a living and to raise a family.
從儉入奢易，從奢入儉難。
It is sweet to be able to move up; it is hell to have to move down;
知音說與知音聽，不是知音莫與彈。
Birds of the same feather flock together.
點石化為金，人心猶未足。
Greed is a bottomless pit.
信了肚，賣了屋。
One picks his own priority between the stomach and the roof.
他人觀花，不涉你目。
他人碌碌，不涉你足。
To each his own.
(Mind one’s own business.)
誰人不愛子孫賢，誰人不愛千鍾粟。
莫把真心空計較，五行不是這題目。
Everyone wishes his offspring were wise and well-educated;
Everyone hopes his household to be well-off and abundantly-provided.
Commonsense like this is granted to be universally true;
Should you wish not to waste time, debate on something more sophisticated.
與人不和，勸人養鵝。
與人不睦，勸人架屋。
A dispute can sometimes be settled amicably with a small gesture of kindness.
但行好事，莫問前程。
True charity needs no motivation.
河狹水急，人急計生。
Great ideas are born out of necessity.
明知山有虎，莫向虎山行。
Danger is no deterrent to heroism.
路不行不到，事不為不成。
All journeys start with the first step;
All edifices start with the first brick.
人不勸不善，鍾不打不鳴。
Everyone could use a little counsel/edging from time to time.
無錢方斷酒，臨老始看經。
Last-resort solutions are seldom good solutions.
點塔七層，不如暗處一燈。
A small lantern in the dark looks brighter than a seven-storey tower of light.
萬事勸人休瞞昧，舉頭三尺有神明。
Hide as one may, providence sees it all.
但存方寸土，留與子孫耕。
True legacy is not measured by size.
滅卻心頭火，剔起佛前燈。
A little spiritual life goes a long way to ease life’s disappointment.
惺惺常不足，懵懵作公卿。
The smart ones often wind up in want;
The dim ones sometimes luck up in high places
眾星朗朗，不如孤月獨明。
A night accompanied by a lone full-moon feels so much more beautiful than a starry sky.
兄弟相害，不如自生。
A brother at one’s throat is one sibling one could live without.
合理可作，小利莫爭。
Do only what is right and concern oneself not with matters of little consequence.
牡丹花好空入目，棗花雖小結實成。
Peony flowers are pleasing to the eye, but little date buds bear fruits in time.
欺老莫欺小，欺人心不明。
Mistreating the little ones is worse than doing it to the elderly;
Mistreat none and one has a clear conscience.
隨分耕鋤收地利，他時飽滿謝蒼天。
Be content living off one’s own two hands tilling the land;
A life of no need and no want is a fulfilled and rewarding one, amen!
得忍且忍，得耐且耐。
不忍不耐，小事成大。
Wait for one’s turn, and abide one’s time,
Less a little impatience lead to things getting out of hand.
相論逞英雄，家計漸漸退。
Compete with one’s inner self to get ahead;
Not against fellow brethren only to beat oneself dead.
賢婦令夫貴，惡婦令夫敗。
Behind every successful man is an equally successful woman.
一人有慶，兆民鹹賴。
When mommy is not happy, nobody is happy.
(When the sovereign suffers, each and every one of her subjects suffers.)
人老心未老，人窮誌莫窮。
Ambition discriminates against neither age nor economic status.
(If anything, one discriminates against himself when it comes to ambition.)
人無千日好，花無百日紅。
All good things come to an end.
殺人可恕，情理難容。
There just is no justification for taking a life.
乍富不知新受用，乍貧難改舊家風。
If the new-riches often don’t know how to start a new lifestyle,
The new-poors are much harder-pressed to rid their old spendthrift ways.
座上客常滿，樽中酒不空。
Guests fill up the seats at the table;
With the cellar well-stocked, wines flow free.
屋漏更遭連年雨，行船又遇打頭風。
When it rains, it pours.
筍因落籜方成竹，魚為奔波始化龍。
Every good thing comes to be at a cost.
記得少年騎竹馬，看看又是白頭翁。
It seems only yesterday when I was riding the rocking horse;
Now I see in the mirror an old man with peppery hair.
禮義生於富足，盜賊出於貧窮。
Virtues are often the luxury of the wealthy;
Many a thief owes his sticky fingers to poverty.
天上眾星皆拱北，世間無水不朝東。
All the stars line up to the North Star;
All the rivers travel east to join the Great Sea.
君子安平，達人知命。
Life is about finding one’s rightful station.
忠言逆耳利於行，良藥苦口利於病。
Good advice jars the ear;
Good medicine displeases the palate.
順天者存，逆天者亡。
Obey Mother Nature and thrive;
Disobey Mother Nature and pay your own price.
人為財死，鳥為食亡。
Man fights to death for the last nugget of gold;
Birds fight to death for the last peck of food.
夫妻相合好，琴瑟與笙簧。
A well-suited couple is one that produces harmonies music like a pair of complementing musical instruments.
有兒貧不久，無子富不長。
With a male heir, poverty shall be only short-lived;
Without a male heir, wealth never lasts very long.
善必壽老，惡必早亡。
Benevolent souls live to old ages;
Evil-doers die young.
爽口食多偏作藥，快心事過恐生殃。
Indulged with, delicious food turns into poison;
Celebrated without constraint, happy occasions lead to tragedy.
富貴定要安本分，貧窮不必枉思量。
In wealth, it is all the more important to observe high moral standards;
In poverty, it is likely unwise to fuss over formalities.
畫水無風空作浪，繡花雖好不聞香。
Wind-whipped water in paintings makes only make-believe waves;
However eye-pleasing, embroidered flowers give out no fragrance.
貪他一鬥米，失卻半年糧。
爭他一腳豚，反失一肘羊。
Penny-wise, pound-foolish.
龍歸晚洞雲猶濕，麝過春山草木香。
The presence of the truly great is still felt long after they are gone.
平生隻會量人短，何不回頭把自量。
When the pot calls the kettle black, it is time for the former to take a look in the mirror.
見善如不及，見惡如探湯。
Emulate others in doing good, and run from bad influence like retreating from scalding water.
人貧誌短，馬瘦毛長。
Financially-strapped folks cannot be very assertive;
Malnourished horses cannot be but in stubbly hair.
自家心裏急，他人未知忙。
Worries are best kept close to one’s chest.
貧無達士將金贈，病有高人說藥方。
If illness is mainly due to luck and often attracts charitable attention,
Poverty is often one’s own making and receives little sympathy.
觸來莫與說，事過心清涼。
Refrain from sharing not spur-of-the-moment sentiments;
All too often, once the moment passes, one no longer feels the same.
秋至滿山多秀色，春來無處不花香。
It is a beautiful season that pleases everyone.
凡人不可貌相，海水不可鬥量。
One errs in rendering judgment by appearance only;
True greatness cannot be measured with ordinary means.
清清之水，為土所防。
濟濟之士，為酒所傷。
A handful of dirt can make a pail of clear water murky;
An undisciplined drop of alcoholic drink can lead an otherwise upright man astray.
蒿草之下，或有蘭香。
茅茨之屋，或有侯王。
Right next to a bush of wild weeds may grow a precious fragrance;
Out of a humble abode may walk a man destined for high place.
無限朱門生餓殍，幾多白屋出卿。
Many a grand mansion has seen starved bodies;
Many a humble abode has produced men bound for high posts.
醉後乾坤大，壺中日月長。
With a little help from alcohol, one sees the world with an entirely different perspective.
萬事皆已定，浮生空白茫。
If all is predestined, surely no hustling of any kind can change anything.
千裏送毫毛，禮輕仁義重。
It is the thought that counts.
一人傳虛，百人傳實。
Repeated a hundred times, a falsehood gains a ring of truth.
世事明如鏡，前程暗似漆。
Perfect knowledge spoils a sense of adventure.
光陰黃金難買，一世如駒過隙。
Time is fair.
Life is short.
良田萬傾，日食一升。
大廈千間，夜眠八尺。
You cannot take it with you.
(You cannot take your money to the grave.)
千經萬典，孝義為先。
Of all the classics, the book of filial obligations comes first.
一字入公門，九牛拖不出。
Avoid lawsuits at all cost.
衙門八字開，有理無錢莫進來。
Justice is not blind – it favors the rich.
富從升合起，貧因不算來。
Frugal habits build wealth;
Poverty roots in carefree spending.
家中無才子，官從何處來。
The road to high places is built with education.
萬事不由人計較，一生都是命安排。
Plot as one may, when it really matters, fate always seems to have the final say.
急行慢行，前程隻有多少路。
On life’s journey, what matters is not how soon you get there but how you get there.
人間私語，天聞若雷。
暗室虧心，神目如電。
You may only whisper, yet the omni-prescient hears you loud and clear;
Your private trespass may be ever so slight, ye the omni-prescient sees it as in broad daylight.
一毫之惡，勸人莫作。
一毫之善，與人方便。
Refrain from doing the smallest evil, for the smallest evil is still evil;
Rush to aid the needy, who can use even the most trivial gesture of kindness.
欺人是禍，饒人是福。
Mistreating others invites retribution;
Forgiveness cultivates goodwill.
天眼恢恢，報應甚速
The day of reckoning comes quicker than one can blink an eye.
聖賢言語，神欽鬼伏。
The sages’ sayings represent the highest authority.
人各有心，心各有見。
Everyone carries his own head over his shoulders;
Everyone makes up his own mind.
口說不如身逢，耳聞不如目見。
Seeing is believing.
養軍千日，用在一朝。
A thousand days’ upkeep of a military is justified by one day’s deployment.
國清才子貴，家富小兒驕。
In times of peace, talent is exalted;
In wealthy families, discipline is neglected.
利刀割體痕易合，惡語傷人恨不消。
Knife wounds heal easily;
Not so with hurts inflicted by vicious personal attacks.
公道世間唯白發，貴人頭上不曾饒。
White hair is the only thing that is fair in this world,
Favoring not the celebrities with any less of it.
有錢堪出眾，無衣懶出門。
Parading before the public is a business reserved for the rich;
With shy wallets, the poor need to be dragged to leave home.
為官須作相，及第必爭先。
All officials aspire to the very top, which makes it all the more important to get a head start by out-competing fellow candidates at the initial selection.
苗從地發，樹向枝分。
Plants sprout up from the ground;
Trees branch out from the trunk.
父子和而家不退，兄弟和而家不分。
It is a thriving household where father and son get along well;
It is a prosperous household (business) where siblings (partners) stand by one another.
官有正條，民有和約。
Officials pronounce regulations and policies;
Communities make pacts and covenants.
閑時不燒香，急時抱佛腳。
Eleventh-hour efforts don’t get one very far.
幸生太平無事日，恐逢年老不多時。
One is fortunate to be born in peacetime;
Friends wish to have met each other when they were still young.
國亂思良將，家貧思賢妻。
Generals are missed in times of political instability;
Wives are missed in times of financial stress.
池塘積水須防旱，田地勤耕足養家。
When the ponds are full, it is easy to forget there are days of drought;
As long as the land is diligently attended to, one needs not worry about being unable to feed a family.
根深不怕風搖動，樹正無愁月影斜。
Buried deep in the ground, roots have no fear of the roaring winds;
Standing upright, trees cannot care less about the slanted shadows cast by the moon.
奉勸君子，各宜守己。
隻此程式，萬無一失。
You all praiseworthy readers, pray hear this respectful supplication:
Life is all about self-discipline, and stick to it we all must, regardless of our individual station.
Should we be wise enough to learn from the above pithy sayings reflecting life's golden rules,
At the end of life’s journey, however treacherous which may at times seem, we all shall be crowned with nothing but jewels.
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