Chinese Proverbs on Life, Relationships, Family, Education & Success

Last Updated February 16, 2022

In these troubled times, we often found ourselves seeking the wisdom of past generations to guide us. What better civilization to provide us enlightenment than the ones that first defined the term! These old Chinese sayings and quotes about love, life, wisdom, and success are what you need to pick yourself up on a lousy day. Draw inspiration from literary works, social expressions, and sayings from the famous and common folk. These ancient sayings address all aspects of traditional Chinese society but are also applicable to modern-day life, from relationships and family to work and personal goals.

Inspiring Chinese Proverbs

The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second best time is today.
A person of high principles is one who can watch an entire chess game without making a comment.
The person attempting to travel two roads at once will get nowhere.
Don’t listen to what they say. Go see.
A smile will gain you ten more years of life.
He who returns from a journey is not the same as he who left.
It takes more than one cold day for a river to freeze a meter deep.
Don’t miss opportunities: time doesn’t come round again.
All things are difficult at the start.
Failure is the mother of success.
A day’s planning is done at dawn.
He who overthinks about every step he takes will always stay on one leg.
Be not afraid of growing slowly, be afraid only of standing still.
Better the cottage where one is merry than the palace where one weeps.
Distant water does not put out a nearby fire.

The person who removes a mountain begins by carrying away small stones.
In a group of many words, there is bound to be a mistake somewhere in them.
Listening well is as powerful as talking well, and is also as essential to the actual conversation.
No matter how tall the mountain is, it cannot block the sun.
Patience is a bitter plant, but its fruit is sweet.
Talk does not cook rice.
If you want to find out about the road ahead, then ask about it from those coming back.
If you don’t do stupid things, you won’t end up in tragedy.
Blessings come in disguise.
Dig the well before you are thirsty.
A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.
A bird does not sing because it has an answer. It sings because it has a song.
If small holes aren’t fixed, then big holes will bring hardship.
A little impatience will spoil great plans.
A wise man makes his own decisions; an ignorant man follows public opinion.
Water flows in only to flow out.

By falling, we learn to go safely.
Man’s schemes are inferior to those made by heaven.
It’s better to walk thousands of miles than to read thousands of books.
Learn to walk before you run.
All things change, and we change with them.
Too many cooks spoil the broth.
If your strength is small, don’t carry heavy burdens. If your words are worthless, don’t give advice.
Better a diamond with a flaw than a pebble without one.
A smile dispels many worries.
Better to light a candle than to curse the darkness.

A needle is not sharp at both ends.
Opportunity knocks at the door only once.
Happiness is the best cosmetic.
Be not afraid of growing slowly.
A good name is better than a good face.
A bad beginning makes a bad ending.
Keep the general goal in sight while tackling daily tasks.
Every step makes a footprint.
A man who cannot tolerate small misfortunes can never accomplish great things.
Each has his own task, and nobody is dispensable.
It is easy to find a thousand soldiers, but hard to find a good general.
Ignorance is bliss.
Disaster comes from the careless talk.

Chinese Proverbs about Education

If you plan for one year, plant rice. If you plan for ten years, plant trees, If you plan for 100 years, educate mankind.
A book holds a house of gold.
Your teacher can open the door, but you must enter by yourself.
A single conversation with a wise man is worth a month’s study of books.
Learning is a treasure that will follow its owner everywhere.
A closed mind is like a closed book; just a block of wood.
If a son is uneducated, his dad is to blame.
Actual knowledge is when one knows the limitations of one’s knowledge.
He who asks is a fool for five minutes, but he who does not ask remains a fool forever.

Chinese Proverbs about Friendship

With real friends, even water drunk together is sweet enough.
The more acquaintances you have, the less you know them.
To know another is not to know the person’s face, but to know the person’s heart.
When entering a locality, follow the local customs.
An intimate friend is hard to find.
Man cannot be judged by looks; seas cannot be measured by the cup.
Fate brings people together from far apart.
To know a fish go to the water; to know a bird’s song go to the mountains.

Chinese Proverbs about Love

With love water is enough; without love food doesn’t satisfy.
A hundred no’s are less agonizing than one insincere yes.
Love isn’t about having, it’s about enjoying.
Different flowers match different eyes.
People living far away will eventually come back home.
In a lover’s eye is the foremost beauty.
Every man loves according to his own taste.

Chinese Proverbs about Family

To understand your parents’ love, you must raise children yourself.
If a family is harmonious, everything will go well.
Giving your son a skill is better than giving him 1,000 pieces of gold.
Every family has its problems.
If you don’t run the family, you don’t know the value of fuel and rice.
If you want your children to have a peaceful life, let them suffer a little hunger and a slight coldness.