Skip to main content

Some Chinese Old Sayings




1 A chick that will grow into a cock can be spotted the very day it hatches.

2 A child's fingers are not scalded by a piece of hot yam which his mother puts into his palm.

3 An old woman is always uneasy when dry bones are mentioned in a proverb.

4 A man who pays respect to the great paves the way for his own greatness.

5 A proud heart can survive a general failure because such a failure does not prick its pride.


6 As the dog said, 'If I fall down for you and you fall down for me, it is playing.'

7 Do not look where you fell, but where you slipped.

8 If a child washes his hands he could eat with kings.

9 If you don't stand for something, you will fall for something.


10 Looking at a king's mouth one would never think he sucked his mother's breast.

11 People should not talk while they are eating or pepper may go down the wrong way.

12 The faintest ink is more powerful than the strongest memory.

13 The lizard that jumped from the high iroko tree to the ground said he would praise himself if no one else did.

14 The mouth which eats does not talk.

15 The sun will shine on those who stand before it shines on those who kneel under them.


16 Those whose palm-kernels were cracked for them by a benevolent spirit should not forget to be humble.

17 When a man says yes, his chi (personal god) says yes also.

18 When the moon is shining the cripple becomes hungry for a walk.

19 You can tell a ripe corn by its look.


20 You must judge a man by the work of his hands.

Popular posts from this blog

Proverbs on Money, Wealth, Riches and Poverty from Africa

1 Make some money but don’t let money make you. ~ Tanzania 2 It is no shame at all to work for money. ~ Africa 3 He who loves money must labor. ~ Mauritania 4 By labor comes wealth. ~ Yoruba 5 Poverty is slavery. ~Somalia 6 One cannot both feast and become rich. ~ Ashanti 7 One cannot count on riches. ~ Somalia 8 Money is sharper than the sword. – Ashanti 9 A man’s wealth may be superior to him. ~ Cameroon 10 The rich are always complaining. ~ Zulu 11 The wealth which enslaves the owner isn’t wealth. ~ Yoruba 12 The poor man and the rich man do not play together. ~ Ashanti 14 Lack of money is lack of friends; if you have money at your disposal, every dog and goat will claim to be related to you. ~ Yoruba 15 With wealth one wins a woman. ~ Uganda 16 Dogs do not actually prefer bones to meat; it is just that no one ever gives them meat. ~ Akan 17 A real family eats the same cornmeal. ~ Bayombe 18 If your cornfield is far from your house, the

Friendship Proverbs

1. A friend's frown is better than a fool's smile. 2. A friend in need is a friend indeed. 3. A friend is easier lost than found. 4. A friend to everybody is a friend to nobody. 5. A problem shared is a problem halved. 6. A true friend is someone who reaches for your hand, but touches your heart. 7. False friends are worse than open enemies. 8. Flattery is all right so long as you don't inhale. 9.  Give credit where credit is due. 10. Grief divided is made lighter. 11. Memory is the treasure of the mind. 12. Nothing dries sooner than a tear. 13. Old friends and old wine are best. 14. The best of friends must part. 15. The best things are not bought and sold. 16. There is no better looking-glass than an old friend. 17. To error is human (To forgive divine). 18. Two cannot fall out if one does not choose.

African Proverbs on Beauty

One who plants grapes by the road side, and one who marries a pretty woman, share the same problem. ~Ethiopian Proverb Beautiful from behind, ugly in front. ~Uganda Proverb The skin of the leopard is beautiful, but not his heart. ~Baluba proverb Ugliness with a good character is better than beauty. ~Nigerian Proverb A beautiful one hurts the heart. ~African Proverb Anyone who sees beauty and does not look at it will soon be poor. ~Yoruba Proverb The surface of the water is beautiful, but it is no good to sleep on. ~Ghanaian Proverb If there is character, ugliness becomes beauty; if there is none, beauty becomes ugliness. ~Nigerian Proverb You are beautiful, but learn to work, for you cannot eat your beauty. ~Congolese Proverb The one who loves an unsightly person is the one who makes him beautiful. ~Ganda Proverb Having beauty doesn’t mean understanding the perseverance of marriage. ~Afr