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Proverbs and Idioms
Common Chinese proverbs and their meanings.
一石二鸟
Kill two birds with one stone
Yī shí èr niǎo
Lit: one stone, two birds
亡羊补牢
Better late than never
Wáng yáng bǔ láo
Lit: mend the fence after the sheep is lost
马到成功
Immediate success
Mǎ dào chénggōng
Lit: success upon the horse's arrival
半途而废
Give up halfway
Bàntú ér fèi
Lit: to abandon halfway on the path
千里之行始于足下
A journey of a thousand miles begins with one step
Qiān lǐ zhī xíng
Lit: a thousand-mile journey begins under one's feet
画龙点睛
The finishing touch
Huà lóng diǎn jīng
Lit: paint the dragon, dot the eye
塞翁失马
A blessing in disguise
Sài wēng shī mǎ
Lit: the old man on the frontier lost his horse
对牛弹琴
Wasting effort on the wrong person
Duì niú tán qín
Lit: play the lute to a cow
水滴石穿
Persistence overcomes all obstacles
Shuǐ dī shí chuān
Lit: water drops pierce the stone
知己知彼
Know yourself and your opponent
Zhī jǐ zhī bǐ
Lit: know yourself and know the other
一分耕耘一分收获
You reap what you sow
Yī fēn gēngyún yī fēn shōuhuò
Lit: one part plowing, one part harvest
活到老学到老
It is never too late to learn
Huó dào lǎo xué dào lǎo
Lit: live until old, learn until old
