Chinese Proverbs: 13 Inspirational Quotes For Mandarin Learners

Chinese proverbs can be a fascinating source of cultural insight.

They are short and clever sayings that contain life-advice and reflect shared values and attitudes.

And if you’re learning the language, proverbs can be a fun way to pick up new vocabulary.

In this video we cover 13 common proverbs that can be used in both spoken and written Mandarin.

13 Chinese Proverbs (A summary of the video above)

为时不晚 wéi shí bù wǎn

It's never too late.

为 wéi: to do / to be
时 shí: time
不 bù: not
晚 wǎn: late

道山学海 dào shān xué hǎi

Learning is as high as the mountains, as wide as the seas.

道山 dào shān: mountain of Dao

学海 xué hǎi: sea of learning

This expression means that learning is a journey that never ends.

学以致用 xué yǐ zhì yòng

Study something in order to apply it.

学 xué: study

以 yǐ: in order to

致 zhì: to cause

用 yòng: use / apply

活到老，学到老。huó dào lǎo, xué dào lǎo.

Never stop learning / Life-long learning.

活 huó: live

到 dào: till

老 lǎo: old

学 xué: learn

到 dào: till

老 lǎo: old

三人行，必有我师。sān rén xíng, bì yǒu wǒ shī.

"When three people walk together, I am sure to find teachers among them."

三 sān: three

人 rén: people

行 xíng: walk

必有 bì yǒu: there must be

我 wǒ: my

师 shī: teacher

This expression means there is always someone you can learn from.

学然后知不足。xué rán hòu zhī bù zú.

The more you learn, the more you realize what you don't know

学 xué: learn

然后 rán hòu: then

知 zhī: know

不足 bù zú: ignorance

悬梁刺骨 xuán liáng cì gǔ

This is used to describe somebody who persistently works or studies very hard.

悬 xuán: to hang

梁 liáng: house beam

刺 cì: sting / thrust

骨 gǔ: bone

This expression originates from two ancient Chinese stories:

STORY ❶

Durning the Western Han Dynasty there was a statesman named Sun Jing who studied very hard. He often studied from morning till evening. Since he studied for so long, it was easy to doze off. To not impede his study, he used a rope to tie his hair to the house beam so that if he fell asleep it would pull on his hair and he would immediately wake up.

STORY ❷
During the Warring States period there was another statesman called Su Qin. He often studied until very late, and in order not to fall asleep he would poke himself in the leg with an awl.