静以修身 (jìng yǐ xiū shēn) – a light heart lives long.
唾面自干 (tuo mian zi gan)- If anyone spits in your face, let it drip dry
逆来顺受 (nì lái shùn shòu) – Take things as they come.
良药苦口 (liáng yào kǔ kǒu) – a good medicine tastes bitter.
身体力行 (shēn tǐ lì xíng) – Practice what you preach.
兵不厌诈 (bīng bù yàn zhà) – Nothing is too deceitful in war.
惩前毖后 (chéng qián bì hòu) – Learn from past mistakes to avoid future ones.
一石二鸟 (yī shí èr niǎo) – Kill two birds with one stone.
如坐针毡 (rú zuò zhēn zhān) – Like sitting on a carpet of needles; to feel tense and uneasy.
知音难觅 (zhī yīn nán mì) – a faithful friend is hard to find.
入乡随俗 (rù xiāng suí sú) – When you are in Rome, do as the Romans do.
大智若愚 (dà zhì ruò yú) – He knows most who speaks least.
捷足先登 (jié zú xiān dēng) – First come, first served.
哀兵必胜 (āi bīng bì shèng) – An oppressed army fighting with desperate courage is sure to win.
夜长梦多 (ye chang meng duo) – The night is long and dreams are legion
水涨船高 (shui zhang chuan gao) – When the tide rises, boats float higher.
同床异梦 (tong chuang yi meng) – Same bed, different dreams.
不耻下问 (bù chǐ xià wèn)- No shame in asking those of lower status.
骄兵必败 (jiaō bīng bì baì)- The arrogant army will lose the battle for sure.
掩耳盗铃 (yǎn ěr daò líng)- Covering one’s own ears while stealing a bell.
画蛇添足 (huà shě tiān zú)- Adding legs when painting a snake.
以牙还牙 (yǐ yá huán yá)- An eye for an eye; to seek revenge in a manner in which one was injured.
三人成虎 (sān rén chéng hǔ)- Three people can make up a tiger.
光阴似箭 (guāngyīn sì jiàn)- Time is like an arrow
覆水难收 (fù shuǐ nán shōu)- Spilt water is hard to recover
同病相怜 (tóngbìngxiānglián)- Patients with similar conditions empathise with each other
与虎谋皮 (yu hu mou pi)- To negotiate with a tiger for its skin
否极泰来 (pǐ jí tài lái) – Things at the worst will mend.
祸从口出 (huò cóng kǒu chū) – Disaster emanates from a careless talk.
饥不择食 (jī bù zé shí)- Beggars can’t be choosers.
Short Chinese Proverbs
Chinese language, which is well suited to the writing of short and snappy idioms and proverbs (谚语yànyǔ). Here is an index of some idiomatic(uses words in a way that sounds natural to native speakers of the language) examples. Each one is given its similar proverbs meaning in English language.