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.

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ih nyan° ts tsho tsoong sung ts hwe°.
The evil done in a moment’s thought may entail the repentance of a life time.

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Ih yien i tsheh, s° °mo nan tsoe.
When a word has gone forth, four horses cannot overtake it.

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

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Ih thah oo-doo.
Everything in confusion.

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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.

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Waung Thien peh veu° °khoo zung sing.
Great Heaven never forgets the desire of a person in misery.

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Ba°-°ts we deu kyung peh wen°.
The repentance of a prodigal is more precious than gold.

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

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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.

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Vaung° ung veu° nyi°.
To forget benefits received.

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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.

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Zung sing kya doong.
Human nature is one.

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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.

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

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Chi zung z° chi z°.
To cheat others is to cheat oneself.

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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.

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

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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.”

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

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°Jung tsu tse tshuh, °jung muh tse huh.
Contact with red ink makes you red. Contact with black ink makes you black.

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Sung zung li° kyi tsung °siau zung.
To injure another to benefit yourself, is the part of a mean fellow.

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

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°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.

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

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Pen° doo r fi.
To give up half-way.

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Meu z° dze zung, dzung z° dze thien.
Man contrives, God accomplishes. Equivalent to “Man proposeth, God disposeth.”

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

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Zeu° °pi nen san, fok zu toong °he.
May your longevity be like the Southern Mountain, and your happiness like the Eastern Sea.

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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.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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