中国谚语的英语翻译

中国谚语（汉英互译）

三人行，必有我师焉。择其善者而从之，其不善者而改之。

Among

any

three

people

walking, I

will

find

something

to

learn

for

sure.

Their

good

qualities

are to be followed, and their shortcomings are to be aoided.

There must be a mentor/teacher for me among any three travellors.

爱屋及乌

Love me, love my dog.

百闻不如一见

Seeing is believing.

比上不足，比下有余

worse off than some, better off than many;

to fall short of the best, but be better than the worst

笨鸟先飞

A slow sparrow should make an early start.

不眠之夜

white night

不以物喜，不以己悲

not pleased by external gains, not saddened by personnal losses

不遗余力

spare no effort; go all out; do one's best

不打不成交

No discord, no concord.

拆东墙补西墙

rob Peter to pay Paul

辞旧迎新

bid farewell to the old and usher in the new

;

ring out the old year and ring in the new

大事化小，小事化了

try first to make their mistake sound less serious and then to reduce it

to nothing at all

大开眼界

open one's eyes; broaden one's horizon; be an eye-opener

国泰民安

The country flourishes and people live in peace

过犹不及

going too far is as bad as not going far enough;

beyond is as wrong as falling short; too much is as bad as too little

功夫不负有心人

Everything comes to him who waits.

好了伤疤忘了疼

once on shore, one prays no more

好事不出门，恶事传千里

Good news never goes beyond the gate, while bad news spread far and

wide.

和气生财

Harmony brings wealth

活到老，学到老

One is never too old to learn.

既往不咎

let bygones be bygones

金无足赤

,

人无完人

Gold can't be pure and man can't be perfect.

金玉满堂

Treasures fill the home

脚踏实地

be down-to-earth

君子之交淡如水

the friendship between gentlemen is as pure as crystal;

a hedge between keeps friendship green

老生常谈，陈词滥调

cut and dried, cliché

礼尚往来

Courtesy calls for reciprocity.

留得青山在，不怕没柴烧

马到成功

achieve immediate victory; win instant success

名利双收

gain in both fame and wealth

茅塞顿开

be suddenly enlightened

没有规矩不成方圆

Nothing can be accomplished without norms or standards.

每逢佳节倍思亲

On festive occasions more than ever one thinks of one's dear ones far away.

It is on the festival occasions when one misses his dear most.

谋事在人，成事在天

planning

lies

with

man,

the

outcome

with

Heaven.

/

Man

proposes,

God

disposes.

弄巧成拙

be too smart by half; Cunning outwits itself.

拿手好戏

masterpiece

赔了夫人又折兵

throw good money after bad

抛砖引玉

a modest spur to induce others to come forward with valuable contributions;

破釜沉舟

cut off all means of retreat

；

burn one‘s own way of retreat and be determined to fight to the end

抢得先机

take the preemptive opportunities

巧妇难为无米之炊

If you have no hand you can't make a fist./

One can't make bricks without straw.

千里之行始于足下

a

thousand-li

journey

begins

with

the

first

step--the

highest

eminence

is

to

be gained step by step

前事不忘

,

后事之师

Past experience, if not forgotten, is a guide for the future.

前人栽树

,

后人乘凉

One generation plants the trees in whose shade another generation rests.

One sows and another reaps.

前怕狼

,

后怕虎

fear the wolf in front and the tiger behind/ hesitate in doing something

强龙难压地头蛇

Even a dragon (from the outside) finds it hard to control a snake in its old

haunt - Powerful outsiders can hardly afford to neglect local bullies.

强强联手

win-win co-operation

瑞雪兆丰年

A timely snow promises a good harvest.

人之初

,

性本善

Man's nature at birth is good.

人逢喜事精神爽

Joy puts heart into a man.

人海战术

huge-crowd strategy

世上无难事，只要肯攀登

世外桃源

a fictitious land of peace away from the turmoil of the world;

死而后已

until my heart stops beating

岁岁平安

Peace all year round

上有天堂，下有苏杭

as

there

is

paradise

in

heaven,

ther

are

Suzhou

and

Hangzhou

on

earth.

塞翁失马，焉知非福

Misfortune may be an actual blessing.

三十而立

At thirty, a man should be able to think for himself.

升级换代

updating and upgrading (of products)

四十不惑

Life begins at forty.

谁言寸草心，报得三春晖

水涨船高

When the river rises, the boat floats high.

时不我待

Time and tide wait for no man.

杀鸡用牛刀

break a butterfly on the wheel

实事求是

seek truth from facts; be practical and realistic; be true to facts

说曹操

,

曹操到

Talk of the devil and he comes.

实话实说

speak the plain truth; call a spade a spade; tell it as it is

实践是检验真理的唯一标准

Practice is the sole criterion for testing truth.

山不在高，有仙则名

there is a fairy;

韬光养晦

hide one's capacities and bide one's time

糖衣炮弹

sugar-coated bullets

天有不测风云

Anything unexpected may happen. a bolt from the blue

团结就是力量

Unity is strength.

“跳进黄河洗不清”

clean-- there's nothing one can do to clear one's name

歪风邪气

unhealthy practices and evil phenomena

物以类聚，人以群分

Birds of a feather flock together.

往事如风

望子成龙

hold high hopes for one's child