A Proverb A Day in Mandarin

[yekban81]

Anyone, pls feel free to contribute. Hope this thread will help those, who want to learn proverbs, including me...haha :wink:

[PeiWen]

Do you mind to provide how we can share the proverbs here? I mean like the format, the meaning in which both English and Mandarin? :wink:

[yekban81]

The format I would suggest:

Chinese Characters
(Han Yu Pin Yin)

Meaning:.......definitely in english.

and may be we can also add an example of using it in our daily life.

[ElansarGelmir]

Nobody's contributing? :( I'm eager to learn...

Nevermind, I will start off with my first and only CHinese proverb which I've learnt recently in Singapore.

对牛弹琴 (if wrong, please correct me. i dunno how to write the piano)
(dui4 niu2 tan2 qin2)

Literal meaning - playing the piano for the cow?
Figurative - Talking or telling something to someone of different channel

[chiunlin]

琴 does not exactly refer to piano. I'm not very sure about the exact English term. I think it's lute, can anyone confirm with me?

A close English equivalent of that proverb is to cast pearl before swine.

Actually, the proverb should be 对牛鼓簧as appeared originally in 庄子 but the more widely-used form is the other one.

[chiunlin]

Here's another proverb.
一毛不拔(yi1 mao2 bu4 ba2)
literal meaning: unwiilling even to pluck out a hair for another
figurative meaning: miser

[ElansarGelmir]

琴 does not exactly refer to piano. I'm not very sure about the exact English term. I think it's lute, can anyone confirm with me?

A close English equivalent of that proverb is to cast pearl before swine.

Actually, the proverb should be 对牛鼓簧as appeared originally in 庄子 but the more widely-used form is the other one.

so is it playing piano or 鼓簧?

[chiunlin]

Both forms are acceptable though the former is more widely used.

[ElansarGelmir]

Got anymore to share?

[chiunlin]

Since Mother's Day is coming, here's a related proverb
虎毒不食子 hu3 du2 bu4 shi2 zi3
meaning : no matter how cruel the tiger is, it never eats its own children.

[ElansarGelmir]

That means... no matter how angry or how fierce our parents are, they will never hurt us?

[chiunlin]

Something like that but sadly, this is not the case for our society where incest and child abuse is rampant.

Here's another proverb:
五十步笑百步 wu3 shi2 bu4 xiao4 bai3 bu4
Literal meaning: Fifty steps laugh at hundred steps
Meaning: You are not better off than the people whom you laugh at.

[ElansarGelmir]

Something like that but sadly, this is not the case for our society where incest and child abuse is rampant.

Here's another proverb:
五十步笑百步 wu3 shi2 bu4 xiao4 bai3 bu4
Literal meaning: Fifty steps laugh at hundred steps
Meaning: You are not better off than the people whom you laugh at.

Haha, it's like pot calling kettle black, it's just that the pot is blacker than the kettle...

[yekban81]

百世修来同船渡，千载修得共枕眠
bai3 shi4 xiu1 lai2 tong2 chuan2 du4, qian1 zai4 xiu1 de2 gong4 zheng3 mian2

Literal meaning: It takes hundreds of reincarnations to bring two persons to ride on the same boat; it takes a thousand eons to bring two persons to share the same pillow.

Meaning: to express the destiny or fate of a meeting of two people as friends or lovers.

[yekban81]

This thread is dying out. Let us turn this forum into a much enjoyable as well as educational media for learning proverb. We play a proverb game which go like these:

一鸣惊人
人間有情
情深似海
海市蜃楼... continue

It would be much better if we include too "han yu pin yin" as well as the meaning as the game goes along.
Well, let me start the game with this:


世上无难事，只怕有心人 ....
(shi4 shang4 you3 nan2 shi4 zhi3 pa4 you3 xing1 ren2)

Literal meaning: On this world there exists no such impossible tasks, they fear only those with perseverance.

Implied meaning:No task in this world is impossible so long as there are willing hearts.

[rjie]

Ok, let me continue.
人山人海
(ren2 shan1 ren2 hai3)
means many people and very crowded.

[yekban81]

人山人海 ...

海中無魚蝦子大
hai zhong wu yu xia zi da

Literal meaning=
When there is no fish in the sea, the shrimps reign supreme

Meaning=
When there is no " big guys ", the little guys rule. The mediocrity shines in an arena where there are no real talents around.

p/s: Welcome to Recom, rjie:) Cheer.

[rjie]

海中無魚蝦子大 ...

大名鼎鼎
da4 ming1 ding3 ding3
which means very famous

[rjie]

海中無魚蝦子大 ...

大名鼎鼎
da4 ming1 ding3 ding3
which means very famous

sorry, it shoud be da4 ming2 ding3 ding3

[yekban81]

大名鼎鼎
da4 ming1 ding3 ding3
which means very famous

so hard to continue loh, anyone?

[windrunner]

小不忍则乱大谋

xiao3 bu4 ren3 ze2 luan4 da4 mou2

If you are not patiet with the small things , you will spoil the bigger plan (am i right？）

[sabishii]

海中無魚蝦子大 ...

大名鼎鼎
da4 ming1 ding3 ding3
which means very famous

鼎足之势
ding3 zu2 zhi1 shi4

比喻三方面分立相持的局势
used to show a situation when three opposing sides are facing each other.

i cheated by searching online.. hehe, it was too hard for me :?

[sabishii]

Since no one is posting, i'll do another one

勢如破竹 shi4 ru2 po4 zhu2

[Padma]

势如破竹 is normally used in the context whereby a battle or feat, which promises victory, is involved, for example:

敌方爬山涉水，誓必破釜沉舟，虽没千军万马，却势如破竹。

di2 fang2 pa2 shan1 she4 shui3, shi4 bi4 po4 fu3 chen2 zhou1, sui1 mei2 qian1 jun1 wan4 ma3, que4 shi4 ru2 po4 zhu2

It's hard to translate this sentence literally but overall this sentence is trying to say that the enemies had come a long way to fight this battle and were determined to win this feat; therefore though there weren't a battalion of infantries and calvaries, yet they obtained a sweeping victory.

Next, 竹报平安。

zhu2 bao4 ping2 an1.

Ah....this one...eh-hemm..let someone do the explanations. :lol:

[sabishii]

竹报平安 is usually used in a context of sending good news back to your loved ones. The character 竹 zhu2 here means bamboo. In oldern China, they use bamboos as a form of medium to write on. Hence, letters to loved ones are composed in 'bamboo letters' and are commonly used to notify them about your wellbeing. the term 平安 ping2 an1 generally means serenity and wellbeing.

hey this is fun, juz let the person after you give a definition of the proverb you used..^^

so here's another one 安居樂業, sorry it's in traditional chinese, i think it looks nicer than simplified eventhough i can only write in simplified. : P

[Padma]

so here's another one 安居樂業, sorry it's in traditional chinese,

安居乐业 an1 ju2 le4 ye4.

This cheng yu(成语) means: to live(居) peacefully(安) and to work(业) happily(乐), usually found in the context regarding the influence of a stable political state towards the well-being of the general public.

As for the source:
《老子》：?民各甘其食，美其服，安其俗，乐其业，至老死不相往来。?

"...The people will, individually, eat well and dress well, conform to the norms and traditions, work enthusiastically and happily, till death do they socially mingle..."---- Lao Tze


i think it looks nicer than simplified eventhough i can only write in simplified. : P

Traditional form of chinese characters convey the shapes besides their meanings and sounds: 表音表义.

Such as in the letter 山:shan1 which means mountain, roughly sketches the outlook of a mountain.

So that's why "it looks nicer than simplified".

Okay, next, a 谚语: yan4 yu3

----业精于勤，荒于嬉: ye4 jing1 yu2 qin2, huang1 yu2 xi1.[/i]

[ll_angel86]

What is a yan yu? and what's the difference between a yan yu and cheng yu?

[strikingstar]

谚语： proverb
E.g. 老王卖瓜，自卖自夸。 猪八戒照镜子，里外不是人。

成语： idiom
E.g. 风驰电掣。 人云亦云。

[forlornpain]

umm.. let me add something.
老马识途 lao3 ma3 shi2 tu2

Meaning - 老马人认识道路。比喻对情况知道得很清楚，富有经验的人，能起引导或指导的作用。
English - An old horse knows the way - an experienced person knows the ropes :D


***END***

[forlornpain]

another one :roll:
路不拾遗 lu4 bu4 shi2 yi2

Meaning - 路上有失物也没人失取。形容社会安定，道德风气良好。
English - No one picks up and pockets any thing lost on the road - descriptive of a high moral standard in society

Example ; 眼看社会治安很乱，他常常感叹什么时候才会出现路不拾遗的安定社会？

**END** :P

[Eternality]

I would like 2 contribute 1 ...

??????? (zhuo1 jin1 jian4 zhou3)

it means there hv too many difficulties to cope with ...

[TheArtOfMedicine]

ren2 shang1 ren2 hai3

Which means there's a sea of people. I think that's considered a primary school kid's standard huh?

[yee_88888]

ren2 shang1 ren2 hai3



umm.... shudn't it b ren2 shan1 ren2 hai3?
________
Desperate housewives forum (http://www.tv-gossip.com/desperate-housewives/)

[TheArtOfMedicine]

Oops..i think you're right. My chinese sucks..ever since i stopped taking it after PMR. I'm sorry if i do(or if i did) provide any misleading information in my previous post. Dui4 bu4 ci3, da4 jia1

[chiachean]

Oops..i think you're right. My chinese sucks..ever since i stopped taking it after PMR. I'm sorry if i do(or if i did) provide any misleading information in my previous post. Dui4 bu4 ci3, da4 jia1

shudn't it b Dui4 bu4 qi3, da4 jia1?

[penny_aries]

船到桥头自然直
chuan2 dao4 qiao2 tou3 zi4 ran2 zhi2

Literal meaning: when the ship reach its port, it will become straight as in "park" correctly.
Figurative meaning: whenever you face a problem, it will somehow solvable in the end.

[baby_ubake]

my favourite
岁寒，然后知松柏之后凋也。

meaning: (When the weather is cold, you will know that the leaves of the pine tree is the last to fall... )
In deep, it means that the toughest lives through the harsh environments...

[kd0708]

another one
穷则变，变则通，通则达(qiong2 ze bian4, bian4 ze2 tong1, tong1 ze2 da2)
Meaning- When you are poor, change, if you are willing to change, there will be a way, when there is a way, you may become success

Example;所谓穷则变，变则通，通则达，只要你肯为了家庭的温暖及饭碗，作出少许的改变又如何呢？

[youngyew]

I don't think the 穷 here necessarily refers to being poor, it may actually refer to "exhaustion of option".

[hhhcce]

独乐乐不如众乐乐

It should be read as du2 yue4 le4 bu4 ru2 zhong4 yue4 le4

Just to point out. It was a just traditional chinese culture that the host will welcome the guests with music.

or this

有朋自远方来，不亦乐(yue4)乎
So here, it is pronounced as yue4 and it has the meaning of happiness (xi3 yue4).

[Athersin]

这是一对新婚夫妇去冲绳蜜月旅行中发生的事情。傍晚，他们沿着沙滩散步时，突然发现一个身穿泳裤的青年倒在一棵大椰子树下面死去。两人一时被惊呆了，看上去那青年是太阳穴被打破，有血流出来，并且已经凝固变干。尸体旁边有一颗大椰子，椰子上还沾有血迹，椰树下的沙地上留着大椰蟹爬过的痕迹。

“这可能是椰蟹爬过沙地的痕迹。”新娘子说。她是大学海洋生物专业的毕业生。

“椰蟹……？那样的话，就是这位青年在树下睡觉时，有一只椰蟹爬来，爬上椰树，用自己的大剪刀剪断椰柄掉在树下，椰子正好落在睡觉的青年人的头上。”新郎抬头看着椰树说。

那棵树上还挂着几颗椰子，又硬又重的椰子从高处落下打在头上的话，一下子就完了。

“你能知道他是什么时间死的吗？”

“外科是我的专业。”于是，丈夫用手触摸尸体检查。“大概已死亡四五个小时了。”

“那么就是说，是今天下午2点至3点钟期间了。”

“差不多。”

“如果是这样，这就不是事故，而是杀人案件！罪犯用椰子打击被害人头部将他杀害后，伪装了树下的椰蟹的足迹，伪装是椰蟹干的勾当。”新娘果断地说。

那么，你知道新娘为什么这样判断吗？



Lets guess through this story.:P

[chiachean]

because the killer killed the man before high tide. when it is high tide, he put the dead body on the beach, as if he was killed by coconut..

[vaanbalthier]

haha, i can only understand half of the story due to my bad command in mandrin. anyone mind translating the whole thing into english?

[youngyew]

Is that supposed to be a proverb? If not then it's in the wrong thread. :P

[Athersin]

because the killer killed the man before high tide. when it is high tide, he put the dead body on the beach, as if he was killed by coconut..

椰蟹是体重1.5公斤左右的大型甲壳类陆生寄居蟹。白天钻在海岸洞穴内，几乎不出来，而在夜里活动。而且椰蟹的前爪再大（25厘米左右），也是不具备剪断椰蒂的力量，罪犯不了解椰蟹的习性，才搞了如此的伪装现场!
Haha.

Sorry young yew, degression of topic here:huh