Читать книгу Chinese Proverbs and Popular Sayings - Larry Herzberg - Страница 8

In a densely populated and group-oriented society like China, it has always been important to watch what one says so as not to risk offending one’s neighbors. More significantly, China has always been an autocratic society under the control of a ruler with absolute power. The country was first ruled by kings, including in the time of Confucius, then by emperors from 221 BCE until 1911 CE. Then followed the dictatorial rule of Chiang Kai-shek from the 1920s until after World War II, and for the past six decades China has been under the rule of the Chinese Communist Party. This has meant that it has always been extremely dangerous to speak one’s mind too freely, especially in challenging those in power.

Many centuries before dissidents were jailed under communist rule, legions of scholar-officials in ancient China were exiled or executed for speaking out in protest against injustice. One of the most beloved figures in Chinese history is the great poet and statesman of the eleventh century, Su Dongpo. Although he rose to high political office, becoming governor of a province and later an adviser to the emperor, he was exiled several times for criticizing government policy. He spent many of his later years in exile on the remote island of Hainan for bravely speaking out against reforms that he thought were harmful to the Chinese people.

It is, therefore, not surprising that many Chinese proverbs and sayings warn against expressing one’s thoughts too freely. Below is but a sampling of cautionary advice when it comes to talk and speech.

CAUTIONS ABOUT SPEAKING

Sickness enters through the mouth; misfortune comes out of it.

(Loose lips sink ships.)

Bìng cóng kǒu rù, huò cóng kǒu chū.

病从口入，祸从口出。

The mouth and tongue have always been the roots of calamity.

Kǒu shé cónglái shì huò jī.

口舌从来是祸基。

The tongue is the source of both benefits and harm; the mouth is a door that opens to either disaster or blessings.

Shé wéi lì hài běn, kǒu shì huò fú mén.

舌为利害本，口是祸福门。

The mouth is the door to disaster; the tongue is the knife that can kill you.

Kǒu shì huò zhī mén, shé wéi zhǎn shēn dāo.

口是祸之门，舌为斩身刀。

You only get criticized if you open your mouth too much; troubles all come from trying to show off.

Shìfēi zhǐ wèi duō kāikǒu, fánnǎo jiē yīn qiáng chūtóu.

是非只为多开口，烦恼皆因强出头。

Don’t cross the river before rolling up your trouser legs; don’t open your mouth before knowing the true state of things.

Bù juǎn kùjiǎo, bù guòhé; bùmō dǐxì, bù kāi qiāng.

不卷裤脚不过河；不摸底细不开腔。

About matters that don’t concern you, don’t open your mouth; when questioned, shake your head and say you know nothing about it.

(Don’t comment on the affairs of others when they don’t concern you.)

Bú gàn jǐ shì, bù zhāngkǒu; yíwèn yáotóu sānbùzhī.

不干己事，不张口；一问摇头三不知。

Close your mouth and hide your tongue, and you can settle down safely anywhere.

(Cautious speech will keep you safe from harm.)

Bì kǒu shēn cáng shé, ānshēn chùchù láo.

闭口深藏舌，安身处处牢。

A closed mouth keeps flies from flying in.

(If you keep your mouth shut, you can’t get into trouble.)

Bìzhe de zuǐ fēibújìn cāngyīng.

闭着的嘴飞不进苍蝇。

Foolish people wag their tongues; wise people use their brains.

Chǔnrén jiáoshé; zhìzhě dòngnǎo.

蠢人嚼舌；智者动脑。

Don’t eat excessive amounts of food; don’t indulge in excessive talk.

Guòtóu de fàn bié chī, guòtóu de huà bié jiǎng.

过头的饭别吃，过头的话别讲。

When meeting people, say only 30% [of what you’re thinking]; don’t toss out everything that’s in your mind.

Féng rén zhǐ shuō sān fēn huà, wèi kě quán pāo yípiàn xīn.

逢人只说三分话，未可全抛一片心。

GOSSIP AND SLANDER

You can hold other people’s hands [down], but you can’t get them to hold their tongues.

[lit.: What you can hold down is people’s hands; what you can’t suppress is other people’s mouths.]

(You can’t stop others from talking; secrets will eventually come out.)

Nádezhù de shì shǒu, yǎnbuzhù de shì kǒu.

拿得住的是手，掩不住的是口。

A tongue may weigh little, but it can crush a man.

(Gossip is a fearful thing that can do great harm.)

Shétóu dǐxià yāsǐ rén.

舌头底下压死人。

Who is never gossiped about behind his back, and who never gossips about people to others?

(No one is exempt from gossip, since everyone loves to talk about other people.)

Shéi rén bèi hòu wú rén shuō, nǎ ge rén qián bù shuō rén?

谁人背后无人说，哪个人前不说人?

Kind words need not be spoken behind people’s backs; words spoken behind people’s backs are rarely kind.

Hǎo huà bù bèi rén, bèi rén méi hǎo huà.

好话不背人，背人没好话。

It is preferable to believe there’s some truth to a rumor than to believe that there’s nothing there.

Níng kě xìn qí yǒu, bù kě xìn qí wú.

宁可信其有，不可信其无。

After something has passed through three mouths, even snakes are said to have grown legs.

(Every rumor becomes exaggerated to a ridiculous point and is not to be believed.)

Huà jīng sān zhāng zuǐ, cháng chóng yě zhǎng tuǐ.

话经三张嘴，长虫也长腿。

TACTFULNESS

In front of short people, do not speak about shortness.

(Don’t hurt other people’s feelings by speaking of their shortcomings in front of them.)

Dāngzhe ǎirén mò shuō duǎn huà.

当着矮人莫说短话。

Never hit a man in the face; never curse a man for his weaknesses.

Dǎ rén bùdǎ liǎn, mà rén búmà duǎn.

打人不打脸，骂人不骂短。

People have a face [just as] a tree has bark.

(Never humiliate anyone or cause them to “lose face,” or they will feel vulnerable in the same way a tree becomes when it loses its bark.)

Rén yǒu liǎn, shù yǒu pí.

人有脸，树有皮。

The tip of the tongue, though soft, can sting people.

Shé jiān suí ruǎn néng zhē rén.

舌尖虽软能蜇人。

Cold rice and cold soup are easy to eat, [but] cold words and cold speech are hard to bear.

Lěng fàn lěng tāng hǎo chī, lěng yán lěng yǔ nán shòu.

冷饭冷烫好吃，冷言冷语难受。

Sweet words and pretty talk keep people warm for the three months of winter; cruel speech wounds people and leaves them cold for six months.

(Cruel words hurt us twice as much as kind words warm our hearts.)

Tián yán měi yǔ sān dōng nuǎn, è yǔ shāng rén liù yùe hán.

甜言美语三冬暖，恶语伤人六月寒。

CORRECT SPEECH

Dishes without salt are tasteless; words without reason are powerless.

(If you speak irrationally, you will most likely persuade no one.)

Cài méi yán, wú wèi; huà méi lǐ, wú lì.

菜没盐，无味；话没理，无力。

The truth is not always present in the loudest voice.

(Shouting does not prove you are in the right.)

Yǒulǐ búzài shēng gāo.

有理不在声高。

Once a word is spoken, even a team of four horses cannot catch up to it.

(A promise is a promise; the superior person keeps his word and never goes back on it.)

Yìyán jì chū, sì mǎ nán zhuī.

一言即出，驷马难追。

Speaking well is not as good as acting well.

(Actions speak louder than words.)

Shuōdehǎo bùrú zuòdehǎo.

说得好不如做得好。

HEED GOOD ADVICE

Good medicine may be bitter in the mouth, but will help you recover; honest advice may offend the ear, but will aid your conduct.

Liáng yào kǔ kǒu lì yú bìng, zhōng yán nì ěr lì yú xíng.

良药苦口利于病，忠言逆耳利于行。

Listening to the [good] advice of others, you will enjoy many hearty meals.

(If you learn from all the good advice others may give you, you’ll get your fill of wisdom.)

Tīng rén quàn, chī bǎo fàn.

听人劝，吃饱饭。

DON’T FORGET TO LAUGH

No talk and no laughter is no way to live.

Bùshuō búxiào, bùchéng shìdào.

不说不笑，不成世道。

CAUTIONS ABOUT BEHAVIOR IN GENERAL

Ice that’s three feet thick didn’t form in just one cold day.

Bīng dòng sān chǐ fēi yírì zhī hán.

冰冻三尺非一日之寒。

To learn [to do] good requires three years, but to learn [to do] evil takes only three days.

(To become a truly moral person requires many years of cultivation, whereas it is all too easy to succumb to the baser impulses of human nature.)

Xué hǎo sān nián, xué huài sān tiān.

学好三年，学坏三天。

To protect against the cold, nothing is better than a heavy fur coat; to prevent slander, nothing is better than to refine your behavior.

(Moral conduct will protect you from reproach.)

Jiù hán mò rú zhòng qiú, zhǐ bàng mò rú zì xiū.

救寒莫如重裘，止谤莫如自修。

Never pull on your shoes in a melon patch; never adjust your cap under a plum tree.

(Avoid doing the slightest thing that might arouse suspicion that you’ve done something improper.)

Guā tián bú nà lǚ, lǐ xià bù zhěng guān.

瓜田不纳履，李下不整冠。

If you are patient in one moment of anger, you can escape a hundred days of sorrow [and regret].

Rěn yì shí zhī nù, kě miǎn bǎi rì zhī yōu.

忍一时之怒，可免百日之忧。

If you don’t think three times before acting, you will have regret; if you restrain yourself in all things, you will have no worries.

Shì bù sān sī zhōng yǒu huǐ; rén néng bǎi rěn zì wú yōu.

事不三思终有悔；人能百忍自无忧。

A great person [has the courage to] accept the consequences of his own actions.

Hǎo hàn zuòshì hǎo hàn dāng.

好汉做事好汉当。

Each person should first clear away the snow from his own front door before worrying about the frost on his neighbor’s roof.

(Your own problems are enough to handle without interfering in other people’s affairs.)

Gè rén zì sǎo mén qián xuě, mò guǎn tā jiā wǎ shàng shuāng.

各人自扫门前雪，莫管他家瓦上霜。

Don’t fear a thousand-to-one chance that something bad might happen; fear the one chance in a thousand.

(We usually guard against the dangers we expect; it’s the unlikely we must also guard against.)

Búpà yíwàn, zhǐ pà wànyī.

不怕一万，只怕万一。

A spear openly thrust at you is easy to dodge; an arrow shot from hiding is hard to defend against.

(Open attacks are easier to defend against than unexpected attacks from an unknown foe.)

Míng qiāng yì duǒ, àn jiàn nán fáng.

明枪易躲，暗箭难防。

Never harm another, but beware of others who may intend to harm you.

(Never harbor the intention to do harm to others, but be aware that others may harbor the intention to harm you.)

Hài rén zhī xīn bù kě yǒu, fáng rén zhī xīn bù kě wú.

害人之心不可有，防人之心不可无。

It’s difficult to fathom what lies in people’s hearts; it’s hard to plumb the depths of the water in the ocean.

Rén xīn nán cè, hǎi shuǐ nán liáng.

人心难测， 海水难量。

If you go easy on others, they’ll go easy on you.

(If you aren’t overly critical of the behavior of others, they will be more likely to not give you a hard time.)

Yǔ rén fāngbiàn, zìjǐ fāngbiàn.

与人方便，自己方便。

When you should let others off the hook, you must let them off the hook; when you should pardon others, you had best pardon them.

(Be lenient whenever possible, with the implication that others then will tend to show you leniency.)

Děi fàngshǒu shí xū fàngshǒu; děi ráo rén chù qiě ráo rén.

得放手时须放手；得饶人处且饶人。

Never use your influence completely; never show off your wealth completely; never take advantage completely; never display your cleverness completely.

(As Confucius cautioned, “follow the principle of the Golden Mean” and show moderation in all things; to do otherwise is to open yourself up to resentment and envy and eventual harm.)

Shì bùkě shǐ jìn, fú bùkě xiǎng jìn, piányi bùkě zhān jìn, cōngmíng bùkě yòng jìn.

势不可使尽，福不可享尽，便宜不可占尽，聪明不可用尽。