Get inspired by this collection of encouraging Chinese proverbs and sayings about life and success.

Chinese Proverbs

1. “The journey of a thousand miles starts with a single step.” – Chinese Proverb

2. “Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.” – Chinese Proverb

3. “He who asks a question is a fool for five minutes; he who does not ask a question remains a fool forever.” – Chinese Proverb

4. “A man grows most tired while standing still.” – Chinese Proverb

5. “Wheresoever you go, go with all your heart.” – Chinese Proverb

6. “Tell me, I forget. Show me, I remember. involve me, I understand.” – Chinese Proverb

7. “An invisible thread connects those who are destined to meet.” – Chinese Proverb

8. “A little impatience will spoil great plans.” – Chinese Proverb

9. “Talk does not cook rice.” – Chinese Proverb

10. “Dig the well before you are thirsty.” – Chinese Proverb

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11. “What you do not wish for yourself, do not do to others.” – Chinese Proverb

12. “To talk much and arrive nowhere is the same as climbing a tree to catch a fish.” – Chinese Proverb

13. “A wise man makes his own decisions, an ignorant man follows public opinion.” – Chinese Proverb

14. “When the winds of change blow, some people build walls and others build windmills.” – Chinese Proverb

15. “A closed mind is like a closed book; just a block of wood.” – Chinese Proverb

16. “Learning is a weightless treasure you can always carry easily.” – Chinese Proverb

17. “If your mind is strong, all difficult things will become easy; if your mind is weak, all easy things will become difficult.” – Chinese Proverb

18. “If you always give, you will always have.” – Chinese Proverb

19. “If you plan for one year, plant rice. If you plan for ten years, plant trees. If you plan for 100 years, educate mankind.” – Chinese Proverb

20. “Outside noisy, inside empty.” – Chinese Proverb

21. “Fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me.” – Chinese Proverb

22. “Ripe fruit falls by itself – but it doesn’t fall in your mouth.” – Chinese Proverb

23. “The person who is his own master cannot tolerate another boss.” – Chinese Proverb

24. “Every child born has innate goodness.” – Chinese Proverb

25. “Make happy those who are near, and those who are far will come.” – Chinese Proverb

26. “True knowledge is when one knows the limitations of one’s knowledge.” – Chinese Proverb

27. “Guessing is cheap, but guessing wrong can be expensive.” – Chinese Proverb

28. “A smile will gain you ten more years of life.” – Chinese Proverb

29. “A man who cannot tolerate small misfortunes can never accomplish great things.” – Chinese Proverb

30. “Often one finds one’s destiny just where one hides to avoid it.” – Chinese Proverb

31. “Be not afraid of growing slowly; Be afraid only of standing still.” – Chinese Proverb

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32. “A single conversation with a wise man is worth a month’s study of books.” – Chinese Proverb

33. “Everything has beauty, but not everyone sees it.” – Chinese Proverb

34. “If your face is ugly, you can’t blame the mirror.” – Chinese Proverb

35. “All things are difficult before they are easy.” – Chinese Proverb

36. “Behave toward everyone as if receiving a guest.” – Chinese Proverb

37. “He who sacrifices his conscience to ambition burns a picture to obtain the ashes.” – Chinese Proverb

38. “Control your emotions or they will control you.” – Chinese Proverb

39. “Learning is a treasure that will follow its owner everywhere.” – Chinese Proverb

40. “The more you sweat in practice, the less you bleed in battle.” – Chinese Proverb

41. “An inch of time is an inch of gold but you can’t buy that inch of time with an inch of gold.” – Chinese Proverb

42. “Habits are cobwebs at first; cables at last.” – Chinese Proverb

43. “The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second best time is today.” – Chinese Proverb

44. “Only one who can swallow an insult is a man.” – Chinese Proverb

45. “One beam, no matter how big, cannot support an entire house on its own.” – Chinese Proverb

46. “Genius can be recognized by its childish simplicity.” – Chinese Proverb

47. “We count our miseries carefully, and accept our blessings without much thought.” – Chinese Proverb

48. “The person attempting to travel two roads at once will get nowhere.” – Chinese Proverb

49. “Man’s schemes are inferior to those made by heaven.” – Chinese Proverb

50. “Your teacher can open the door but you must enter by yourself.” – Chinese Proverb

51. “Pearls don’t lie on the seashore. If you want one, you must dive for it.” – Chinese Proverb

52. “Tension is who you think you should be, relaxation is who you are.” – Chinese Proverb

53. “There are two kinds of perfect people: those who are dead, and those who have not been born yet.” – Chinese Proverb

54. “All things change, and we change with them.” – Chinese Proverb

55. “He who thinks too much about every step he takes will always stay on one leg.” – Chinese Proverb

56. “A bad word worshipped will echo a hundred miles.” – Chinese Proverb

57. “Don’t listen to what they say. Go see.” – Chinese Proverb

58. “He who returns from a journey is not the same as he who left.” – Chinese Proverb

59. “Patience is a bitter plant, but its fruit is sweet.” – Chinese Proverb

60. “Better to light a candle than to curse the darkness.” – Chinese Proverb

61. “Adapt the remedy to the disease.” – Chinese Proverb

62. “What you cannot avoid, welcome.” – Chinese Proverb

63. “A wise man adapts himself to circumstances, as water shapes itself to the vessel that contains it.” – Chinese Proverb

64. “Either do not begin or, having begun, do not give up.” – Chinese Proverb

65. “A hundred men may make an encampment, but it takes a woman to make a home.” – Chinese Proverb

66. “Continually give, continually gain.” – Chinese Proverb

67. “Every smile makes you a day younger.” – Chinese Proverb

68. “Even though you have ten thousand fields, you can eat but one measure of rice a day.” – Chinese Proverb

69. “When the pupil is ready, the teacher will come.” – Chinese Proverb

70. “Gold cannot be pure, and people cannot be perfect.” – Chinese Proverb

71. “Be not afraid of growing slowly; be afraid only of standing still.” – Chinese Proverb

72. “Giving your son a skill is better than giving him one thousand pieces of gold.” – Chinese Proverb

73. “If you wish to know the mind of a man, listen to his words.” – Chinese Proverb

74. “The gem cannot be polished without friction, nor man perfected without trials.” – Chinese Proverb

75. “Defeat teach us us life’s most valuable lessons.” – Chinese Proverb

76. “If you want 1 year of prosperity, grow grain. If you want 10 years of prosperity, grow trees. If you want 100 years of prosperity, grow people.” – Chinese Proverb

77. “Better a diamond with a flaw than a pebble without one.” – Chinese Proverb

78. “One generation plants the trees, another gets the shade.” – Chinese Proverb

79. “The more acquaintances you have, the less you know them.” – Chinese Proverb

80. “Distant water does not put out a nearby fire.” – Chinese Proverb

81. “Two good talkers are not worth one good listener.” – Chinese Proverb

82. “A bird does not sing because he has the answer to something, he sings because he has a song.” – Chinese Proverb

83. “To understand your parents love you must raise children yourself.” – Chinese Proverb

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