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100 Chinese Proverbs and wisdom from Chinese culture

02/20/2026 by

Today, I am exploring Chinese proverbs and the wisdom from Chinese culture. Ancient wisdom that remains relevant to this day.

Chinese proverbs distil thousands of years of philosophy, history, and daily life into vivid lines.

So, in this post, there are 100 Chinese proverbs, presented in English translation, grouped loosely by theme to make them easier for readers to absorb.

Enjoy them all and feel free to share them with your friends, or use them in your daily life.

100 Chinese Proverbs:

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Wisdom, Learning and Self-Cultivation

  1. Learning is a treasure that will follow its owner everywhere.
  2. A book holds a house of gold.
  3. Studying without thinking is labour lost; thinking without studying is perilous.
  4. Teachers open the door; you enter on your own.
  5. A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.
  6. To know the road ahead, ask those coming back.
  7. Better to light one candle than curse the darkness.
  8. When you drink the water, remember the source.
  9. Wisdom comes from experience; experience comes from mistakes.
  10. One generation plants the trees; another gets the shade.

Patience, Time and Perseverance

  1. Dig the well before you are thirsty.
  2. Fall seven times, stand up eight.
  3. Constant dripping wears away the stone.
  4. Do not fear slow progress; fear standing still.
  5. With time and patience, the mulberry leaf becomes silk.
  6. A closed mind is like a closed book; just a block of wood.
  7. Even a hare will bite when cornered.
  8. The best time to plant a tree was twenty years ago; the second-best time is now.
  9. Great oaks grow from little acorns.
  10. A rope, when twisted together, can pull a boat.

Knowledge, Insight and Awareness

  1. A wise person adapts to circumstances.
  2. Knowing others is intelligence; knowing yourself is true wisdom.
  3. One who asks a question is a fool for a moment; one who does not is a fool forever.
  4. The bird that rises early catches the worm.
  5. To see what is in front of one’s nose requires constant effort.
  6. A single conversation with a wise person is better than ten years of study.
  7. When the mind is calm, the path appears.
  8. Clear water reflects clearly; a calm mind thinks clearly.
  9. A man without a smiling face must not open a shop.
  10. Silence is a source of great strength.

Morality, Character and Virtue

  1. Better to be poor and honest than rich and dishonest.
  2. A good heart is better than a handsome face.
  3. He who cheats others cheats himself.
  4. One who plants kindness gathers happiness.
  5. The superior person blames himself; the small person blames others.
  6. A clean conscience is a soft pillow.
  7. If you want happiness for an hour, take a nap. If you want happiness for a lifetime, help others.
  8. Virtue is not left to stand alone; it will always have neighbours.
  9. A good deed gains respect; a bad deed gains regret.
  10. The reputation of a thousand years can be ruined in one day.

Adaptability, Change and Balance

  1. When the wind of change blows, some build walls; others build windmills.
  2. Water adapts to the shape of its container.
  3. The rigid breaks; the flexible survives.
  4. When one door closes, another opens.
  5. A smooth sea never made a skilled sailor.
  6. Extreme joy begets sorrow.
  7. Too much sharpness will blunt the blade.
  8. A bent tree lives longer than a straight one.
  9. The moon waxes and wanes; so do fortunes.
  10. Still water runs deep.

Family, Relationships and Society

  1. Harmony in the family leads to prosperity in all things.
  2. Blood is thicker than water.
  3. Parents’ love is deeper than the ocean.
  4. A good neighbour is better than a distant relative.
  5. Brothers may quarrel, but outsiders cannot interfere.
  6. A home filled with laughter is richer than gold.
  7. Children are the mirrors of their parents.
  8. One hand washes the other.
  9. Trust is built in drops and lost in buckets.
  10. Friendship doubles joy and halves sorrow.

Strategy, Action and Life Lessons

  1. Opportunities are prepared for those who are ready.
  2. To catch a tiger, you must enter its den.
  3. Do not use a butcher’s knife to kill a chicken.
  4. One cannot trap tigers without entering the mountains.
  5. A clever rabbit has three burrows.
  6. Kill the chicken to scare the monkey.
  7. A single spark can start a prairie fire.
  8. The one who ties the bell must untie it.
  9. Pointing at the moon, the finger is not the moon.
  10. When the tree falls, the monkeys scatter.

Simplicity, Contentment and Inner Peace

  1. Enough is as good as a feast.
  2. A contented mind is perpetual happiness.
  3. Wealth consists not in having great possessions, but in having few wants.
  4. Plain living and high thinking.
  5. The quiet life brings peace.
  6. Happiness comes from within.
  7. A simple life is a beautiful life.
  8. Desire knows no end.
  9. The more you chase happiness, the farther it runs.
  10. Serenity is the highest luxury.

Fate, Effort and Human Limits

  1. Man proposes; heaven disposes.
  2. Do your best and leave the rest to fate.
  3. Heaven helps those who help themselves.
  4. Birth is destiny; fortune is self-made.
  5. Luck favours the prepared mind.
  6. A person’s heart determines their destiny.
  7. Do not complain about heaven; do not blame others.
  8. One’s fate is in one’s own hands.
  9. Accept what comes, and adapt what you can.
  10. Every gain has its loss.

Closing Wisdom

  1. A moment of patience can prevent a great disaster.
  2. Small leaks sink great ships.
  3. The wise avoid extremes.
  4. A mirror reflects the face; experience reflects the mind.
  5. Words once spoken cannot be taken back.
  6. A single hair can pull nine oxen.
  7. Success depends on preparation.
  8. When your cup is full, stop pouring.
  9. The tallest tree catches the most wind.
  10. Calmness is the cradle of power.
Phil Sutton

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