Chinese idioms about patience and perseverance
Our proverbs come with full information. The modern Chinese characters are given first with links that give information on the character. As proverbs are so old you will often see them written using the traditional form of characters; so if some of the characters have been simplified the traditional form is shown in brackets and gray text. The characters are followed by the proverb (normally a 成语 chéng yǔ) in pinyin. Next, there is a crude character by character transliteration into English, followed by a more accurate English translation. If this is a Chinese proverb alluding to history the meaning may still not be clear in English, so the following notes give an explanation. Finally some proverbs have fairly direct English equivalents, and if so the English proverb is shown.
For background on the types and history of proverbs please see our guide.
A set of proverbs, sayings and idioms to help you cope stoically with life's ups and downs. Perseverance and restraint are the common themes in this large collection.
白手起家
Empty hand make house
To build up something from nothing.
冰冻三尺,非一日之寒 [冰凍三尺非一日之寒]
Three feet of ice is not formed in a single day
It takes time to achieve satisfactory results.
Roughly equivalent to: Rome was not built in a day.
常将有日思无日,莫将无时想有时 [常將有日思無日莫將無旹想有旹]
When rich there is time to think all day, when poor there is no time to think
When rich, you have time to dream, but do not dream of riches when you are poor.
吃软不吃硬 [吃軟不吃硬]
Only able to chew tender food, not the tough
Unable to withstand harsh criticism.
覆水难收 [覆水難收]
Spilled water can not be recovered
What is done is done. The situation can not be restored to how it once was.
Roughly equivalent to: There's no use crying over spilt milk.
福无重至,祸不单行 [福無重至旤不單行]
Blessings come along alone; troubles often come together
Bad fortune is more frequent than good.
Roughly equivalent to: Ill fortune comes in threes.
海纳百川 [海納百川]
All rivers run to the sea
We all share a common destiny.
好马不吃回头草 [好馬不吃回頭草]
A good horse will not eat the grass behind it
Pride may forbid a person going back to his home town after failure. Do not dwell on past actions, progress forward.
祸不单行 [旤不單行]
Disasters do not walk alone
Misfortunes tend to come all at once.
Roughly equivalent to: When it rains, it pours.
饥不择食 [飢不擇食]
When hungry will eat anything
The starving aren't fussy over their food - take whatever is available.
Roughly equivalent to: Beggars can't be choosers.
捷足先登
The winning foot is the first to climb
In order to succeed you need to set off first.
Roughly equivalent to: The early bird catches the worm.
留得青山在,不怕没柴烧 [留得青山在不怕沒柴燒]
So long as the green mountains are preserved, there will be no shortage of firewood
Do not despair, there is plenty of time and opportunity.
Roughly equivalent to: Everything comes to him who waits.
木已成舟
The tree has already been made into a boat
Too late to change anything.
Roughly equivalent to: What's done is done.
念念不忘
Do not neglect your studies. Ponder on problems
Study hard. Keep thinking about a problem.
Roughly equivalent to: Where there's a will, there's a way.
宁为玉碎,不为瓦全 [宁為玉碎不為瓦全]
Don't be a proud piece of broken jade, be a complete tile
Stand up against enemies do not give in. Keep your integrity and stand firm.
Roughly equivalent to: Fall on your sword.
藕断丝连 [藕斷絲連]
Although the lotus root may be cut, its fibered threads are still connected
Friendship survives adversity.
骑虎难下 [騎虎難下]
When on a tiger's back, it is hard to dismount
When taking risks you have to live with the consequences, it is difficult to back out.
Roughly equivalent to: He who sups with the Devil should have a long spoon.
塞翁失马,安知非福 [塞翁失馬安知非福]
When the old man from the frontier lost his horse; how could he have known that it would not be fortuitous?
The story ➚ is that a man lost his horse but actually it went over the Great Wall and brought back several horses with it. A setback may turn out to be a blessing in disguise.
Roughly equivalent to: Every cloud has a silver lining.
山不转路转 [山不轉路轉]
A mountain cannot turn, but a road can
It is not necessary to continue in the same direction, there are other alternatives to avoid an obstacle.
Roughly equivalent to: There's more than one way to skin a cat.
生米煮成熟饭 [生米煮成熟飯]
The rice has already been cooked
What has been done can not be undone.
Roughly equivalent to: What's done is done.
树欲静而风不止 [樹欲靜而風不止]
The trees prefer calm, but the wind does not stop
In spite of a wish for peace, trouble is brewing. Things develop regardless of how you might wish. Powerless to influence outcome.
水满则溢 [水滿則溢]
Water rises only to overflow
At the point of a crisis. Things are about to turn around.
Roughly equivalent to: The tide is on the turn.
天下没有不散的宴席 [天下沒有不散的宴席]
No banquet in the world goes on forever
Good fortune can not last for ever.
Roughly equivalent to: All good things must come to an end.
揠苗助长 [揠苗助長]
Stretching young plants to make them grow
Be patient and let nature run its course.
Roughly equivalent to: Patience is a virtue.
夜长梦多 [夜長夢多]
The longer the night, the more dreams there will be
When in hard times it is foolish to merely dream of better things.
Roughly equivalent to: If wishes were horses, beggars would ride.
一笑解千愁
One smile can erase a myriad worries
Keep cheerful against all the odds.
Roughly equivalent to: Keep your chin up.
Image by bluefootedbooby ➚ available under a Creative Commons license ➚
因噎废食 [因噎廢食]
It is foolish to refuse to eat just because of the chance of choking
Life does not come without risks. Risk of failure is not an argument for not trying.
日暮途穷 [日暮途窮]
The day is ending and the road narrows
The end game is upon us.
Roughly equivalent to: On last legs.
忍辱负重 [忍辱負重]
Enduring humiliations in the line of duty
Willing to put up with disgrace and humiliation so that work can be completed. Often applied to someone given a very difficult but important task.
Roughly equivalent to: Taking the flak.
卷土重来 [捲土重來]
Sweeping off the dust and trying again
Making a comeback after a setback - determined to have another go. Like getting back on a horse after being thrown off.
Roughly equivalent to: Dust yourself off and start all over again.
苛政猛于虎 [苛政猛於虎]
Tyranny is more terrible than tigers
The story is that Confucius met a woman near mount Taishan who was weeping bitterly. When asked, she said she had lost father-in-law, husband and son to marauding tigers. Confucius asked why she did not move to a safer village; she replied that she was sheltering from a despotic government and would rather risk tigers than oppression. Tyrannical government is the worst of evils.
吃一堑,长一智 [吃一塹長一智]
Fall into a pit but learn from the experience
Gain wisdom from experience of setbacks.
Roughly equivalent to: Learn from your mistakes.
苦尽甘来 [苦儘甘來]
Bitterness over, happiness arrives. At the end of suffering comes relief
After troubles comes happiness.
Roughly equivalent to: The darkest hour is just before the dawn.
乐极生悲 [樂極生悲]
After pleasure comes sorrow
Wallowing in pleasure will lead to regrets afterwards. Restrain yourself or you'll regret it.
物极必反 [物極必反]
Extreme conditions will surely calm down
Things will turn around in the opposite direction when they reach the highest point.
Roughly equivalent to: The tide is on the turn.
小洞不补,大洞吃苦 [小洞不補大洞吃苦]
A small hole not mended in time will soon become a larger hole more difficult to mend
Do not put off taking action to put things right.
Roughly equivalent to: A stitch in time saves nine.
既往不咎
It is pointless to blame past events
What is done is done. It is pointless to live a life of regret for things that can't be changed.
Roughly equivalent to: Forgive and forget.
别无长物 [別無長物]
Having nothing to spare
In great poverty, possessing nothing other than the bare essentials.
Roughly equivalent to: The cupboard is bare.
多难兴邦 [多難興邦]
Many hardships can rejuvenate a nation
A calamity that may prompt a resurgence. An encouragement to continue striving in the hope that things will improve.
Roughly equivalent to: Hope springs eternal.
卧薪尝胆 [臥薪甞膽]
Lying on straw and tasting gall
Patiently suffering while plotting revenge or recovery. Sleeping rough and eating poor food while preparing for a comeback.
Roughly equivalent to: Harboring a grudge.
一朝一夕
One morning and one evening
A short space of time. Something transient that will soon pass.
Roughly equivalent to: Over in a flash.
大器晚成
Large vessels take longer to complete
It takes a long time and great care to make something worthwhile. An admonishment to persevere in studies or work. Often used to describe late developing talent.
Roughly equivalent to: Rome was not built in a day.
粗茶淡饭 [粗茶淡飯]
On a starvation diet
Eat simple home-made food and yet be healthy.
节外生枝 [節外生枝]
Leaves emerge from where they should not
New problems pop up unexpectedly.
来日方长 [來日方長]
Long time ahead
There is adequate time to achieve your desires.
Roughly equivalent to: All things come to those who wait.
否极泰来 [否極泰來]
At the extreme point of misfortune, good will surely arrive
When the situation reaches its lowest point it will then begin to improve.
Roughly equivalent to: The darkest hour is just before the dawn.
屋漏偏逢连夜雨 [屋漏偏逢連夜雨]
When the roof is leaking, there will be continuous nights of rain
Misfortunes tend to come all at once.
Roughly equivalent to: When it rains, it pours.
循序渐进 [循序漸進]
Make gradual progress one step at a time
To make steady step by step progress towards an end.
Roughly equivalent to: A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.
一步一个脚印儿 [一步一個腳印兒]
Every step leaves a footprint
Work steadily one step at a time in order to make solid progress.
Roughly equivalent to: Rome was not built in a day.
一丝不苟 [一絲不苟]
To take care of every thread in a cloth
To be meticulous. To pay atttention to every detail.
Roughly equivalent to: If a job is worth doing it is worth doing well.
你死我活
Fight to the death
To fight to the bitter end.