Chinese proverb

Ancient Proverbs: The ancient proverb is often used in face of setbacks as a consolation: Every language has a rich collection of proverbs that portray the knowledge and the vast storehouse of wisdom stored in the representative culture. It may be so that each culture faces similar experiences; still, each language and its culture have something unique to offer. We can easily see the differences as well as the similarities in respective cultures and regions. Proverbs are sayings that illustrate some basic truth that we tend to forget or ignore in our day-to-day living. They arise out of ancient folklore, oral storytelling traditions and folk wisdom. They use artistic tools like humor to show deeper things. Often they give advice on living life, in the guise of a lighthearted joke. An apparently funny ancient proverb, may actually illustrate a serious principle. Most languages have proverbs or sayings of some kind. However, languages rich in nuance, give rise to the best and most graphic proverbs. The Chinese language is well suited to the writing of short and snappy phrases and proverbs. Chinese proverbs are famous for their simplicity and depth. In its 4,000-year civilized history, the people of China have invented a large collection of proverbs. Proverbs that adapt to every situation thinkable. The Chinese have a special inclination towards using proverbs and the one who uses them frequently is considered to have had a sound education.

Kinds of Chinese Proverbs: The Chinese proverbs are categorized into four main categories, namely The chengyu category which consists of accepted phrases, the yanyu category that consists of familiar sayings, suyu proverbs that comprise of popular sayings and the xiehouyu proverbs that have allegorical meanings. Some proverbs are literary, that is, from a written source. Others originated among families, street vendors, and other common people from all walks of life. There is significant disparity in the way the words in dialects are pronounced. A few old proverbial phrases and sayings have originated from paper documents, and thus would be accessible to most Chinese today. Many other expressions, however, have originated from some rhymes or songs, and due to the dissimilarities in the dialects, these proverbs are not understood much except in the region in which they originated. One cannot distinguish between the boundaries in which particular dialects are spoken, especially in today’s world where populations have become extremely mobile and people of any origin can be found anywhere on the planet. A lot of proverbs are popular nowadays that sound almost like jokes, and in some cases are jokes. Although they may be attributed to Confucius or other Chinese philosophers, they are actually fakes created by modern pranksters.

Examples: “To hit a dog with a meat-bun”. The interpretation is that instead of being driven off, the dog will enjoy the meal. The deeper, meaning is the use of the wrong approach to solve a problem. Another example of an ancient Chinese proverb is “Point at a deer and call it a horse” the origin of this proverb is from a story. The chief advisor of Emperor Qin Er Shi wanted to control the government. So he devised a test of loyalty. At a formal imperial gathering, he had a deer brought in, but called it a horse. The officials who did not agree blindly with him were eliminated. The proverb has come to mean the deliberate twisting of facts for ulterior motives.