According to the Royal Spanish Academy, a proverb is a "sentence, adage or saying". They are not exclusive to the East, although Chinese or Japanese proverbs are well known.. What happens is that in Spanish we refer to those of our culture or Western culture as saying, generally. While it is true that proverbs are usually anonymous and many proverbs can be attributed an authorship.
What do you know about them? Do you like his teachings? Do you find them inspiring? In this article we will attend to the Chinese proverbs, we will tell you more about their characteristics and we will give you some good examples.
chinese proverbs
They are made up of a short phrase that states a message. The message is a teaching, a truth, which often has a moral character. This instructive or judgmental reference can propel us to optimal moral behavior. They can serve to inspire us, to learn or change our perspective and vision of things. There are many types, so it is easy to find applicability for different situations.
They are very old, known for centuries and millennia and passed from generation to generation. showing some variation, but they never lose the essence of their message. This message usually contains a sentence capable of being translated into other languages, hence the universality and importance of the statement. It can be said that a proverb is the same type of locution as a proverb or aphorism.
Eastern proverbs are very attached to Buddhist philosophy. They embody learning and teachings with extreme simplicity to transmit great human truths. In any case, they are all full of wisdom and are capable of spreading this wisdom to all layers of society and their generations.
The common characteristics of the oriental proverbs in general and of the Chinese ones in particular are the traits of effort, dedication, discipline, respect or humilitythat these cultures share. All moral values are innate in Chinese culture and in some Far Eastern countries.
25 examples
- Great souls have wills; the weak only desires. It's not enough to want something, you have to work hard to get it. The will achieves objectives, desires can only remain fantasies.
- Who is afraid of suffering, already suffers about fear. The imperishable fear of fear. The constant concern already creates the own problem or disgust.
- It is easier to change the course of a river than the character of a man. This says a lot about human character. It's hard to change, especially foolish personalities.
- Dig the well before you get thirsty. Like the classic of the grasshopper and the ant. Foresight is crucial; if you want to tackle a problem when it arises, it may be too late or twice as hard.
- The wise man does not say what he knows, and the fool does not know what he says. The fool speaks for others and without knowing; on the other hand, the intelligent one, because he is, keeps quiet about many things, so he shows his insight and judgment.
- Before being a dragon, you have to suffer like an ant. Do not pretend to be the strongest or seasoned from the beginning; You must start from the bottom, learn many things and do many less pleasant things, in any field, to end up being a true dragon.
- The water floats the boat, but it can also sink it.. No question is good or bad in itself, it depends on how it is looked at or how it is used.
- Nothing feels better to the body than the growth of the spirit. It is, of course, a conjunction, and one cannot function without the other. A mind in harmony translates into a body that is in well-being.
- Who gives way widens the road. We magnify ourselves in the action of seeing for the other.
- Fair roads don't lead far. Many times it is not possible to achieve great goals by choosing the easy way of doing things. You need to get your hands dirty.
- Nobody bathes twice in the same river, because it is always another river and another person. A classical teaching that Heraclitus also commented on; about the change of life, situations and people, who are molded with them.
- If you are making plans for a year, seed rice. If you do them for two decades, plant trees. If you do them for life, educate a person. On the value of time and the solidity of actions, from the fragility to the robustness of the seed.
- If you give me fish, I will eat today, if you teach me how to fish, I will be able to eat tomorrow. It is necessary to provide support with resources to create autonomy; one must flee from dependency (bread for today…).
- For those who don't know where they want to go, all roads serve. When an objective is not defined, either because it is not known, or because it has not been sought, a thousand superfluous paths are taken, and nothing is achieved.
- A snowflake never falls in the wrong place.. In other words, luck does not exist.
- Defeat the enemy without staining your back. To win it is not necessary to even touch the adversary; intelligence and cunning is enough.
- The innocence of a mouse can move an elephant. About the strength of innocence.
- The wise man can sit on an anthill, but only the fool sits on it.. Anyone can be wrong, but only the ignorant would keep his mistake.
- if you fall seven times, get up eight. That is the value of constancy.
- Pay as much attention to your interior as you pay to your image. Direct relationship between body and mind. Unbeatable example for today's society.
- Take your responsibilities and solve the problem when you are the one who created it. That is, take care of what is in you, what depends on you.
- When you are flooded with enormous joy, do not promise anything to anyone. When overpowered by great anger, do not answer any letter. Do not let yourself be dominated by your emotions; it is the value of temperance.
- If you're not afraid, you don't have to worry. Worry only comes when we think about problems a thousand times (fear, fear assails you). If you deal with the problems instead, the worry fades away.
- Don't ask for love, earn it. Focus on producing and provoking love, and not just receiving it.
- Work and perseverance are what will lead you to be what you want. Little more need be. There are many sayings and proverbs of this type, some add perseverance, effort, discipline, commitment..., even so, all agree that the key is found in work.