Chinese Proverbs

Nearly every society boasts of a high-quality collection of proverbs which denote life experiences along with the materialistic and intellectual depths of that culture. Humans are humans and by and large our understanding of the universe differs between every individual. Indisputably, each culture is one of a kind in a number of ways, and proverbs offer us a window to see the difference and the similarity between various cultures. Chinese proverbs could easily be termed as a living history as they unite the distant past with the present. They present a window through which Chinese people have traditionally and even presently view and understand their lives.

These proverbs are admired for their simplicity and wisdom, and the simple sheer number of them. You might derive a sense of gratification by going through this ancient heritage and will equally recognize the significance of these sayings. Chinese proverbs have the ability to take you back to the traditional Chinese way of life. With a 4,000-year record of civilization and culture, the Chinese have produced countless proverbs and you will find a proverb for almost any modern-day situation. In China, the well thought-out use of Chinese proverbs in writing is regarded as a symbol of higher learning and knowledge rather than a general knowledge of folklore or cliches.

A number of these proverbs and simply profound, having been crafted with the purpose of alleviating the sometimes unconventional thoughts and myths which permeated Chinese society at the time. These proverbs provide insight and tidbits of wisdom about Chinese society. Structurally, all proverbs can be further grouped into established phrases, proverbial sayings, admired sayings and two-part symbolic sayings. These are all incomparable to each other in the Chinese language, and are all vibrant with metaphors and layered meanings. Whilst most Chinese proverbs consist of only a few characters (words), when joined together they represent a tremendous amount of cultural depth, history and backstory.

An example of a Chinese proverb translated into English is: "A single ant may wipe out an entire dam, and be only afraid of standing still rather than to work slowly" which symbolizes at a surface level the power of every single individual in this universe. The proverb "Behind an able man, there are always other able men" signifies that being a leader will inspire others to follow. "Better a diamond with a flaw than a pebble without one" shows that man is a rational creature. "Better a good deed done close to home than a journey far away to burn incense" shows that people should be modest and stay away from pompous displays of fluff. "It is better to light a candle than to curse the darkness" sums up the Chinese Confucian philosophy to life - do something to alleviate your idleness, don't just complain about it.

Jackie Tan is a Feng Shui writer and enthusiast, and part of the team behind BeingBlissful.com