I just love ancient Chinese proverbs. So often, they resonate within me having struck a chord of truth. Proverbs offer little bits of wisdom that don’t always make sense the first time you hear them but as you experience life, they ring more and more true. They are not quotes. They are common sayings of generational wisdom. Chinese culture seems to produce very insightful and practical wisdom about life and love. I hope you enjoy this collection of Chinese proverbs that I have recorded here below.
Some Of The Best Ancient Chinese Proverbs About Life:
A child’s life is like a piece of paper on which every person leaves a mark.
He who asks is a fool for five minutes, but he who does not ask remains a fool forever.
Deep doubts, deep wisdom, small doubts, little wisdom.
He who strikes the first blow admits he’s lost the argument.
A bird does not sing because it has an answer. It sings because it has a song.
Jade must be chiseled before it can be considered a gem.
To know the road ahead, ask those coming back.
Outside noisy, inside empty.
A spark can start a fire that burns the entire prairie.
Behind every able man, there are always other able men.
The person who says it cannot be done should not interrupt the person doing it.
An inch of time is an inch of gold, but an inch of time cannot be purchased for an inch of gold.
If you give a man a fish, you feed him for a day. If you teach a man to fish, you feed him for a lifetime.
All happy families are alike; each unhappy family is unhappy in its own way.
Chinese Proverbs On Love
As I mentioned before, Chinese proverbs have always sparked an interest for me. However, I only ever hear one now and again. But recently, I was given the opportunity to review new The Book Of Chinese Proverbs, A Collection of Timeless Wisdom, Wit, Sayings & Advice, compiled by Gerd de Ley. I decided that I couldn’t refuse so I thought I would update my post here to include a bit about it and a few of my favorite Chinese Proverbs about love from the book. Below is my affiliate link so you can preorder the book on Amazon- it comes out tomorrow, December 31, 2019.
I like how Gerd de Ley said in his introduction, “It is my sincere hope that a perusal of these pages will help the reader embrace a wider perspective in life and see things in a slightly different light.” That is exactly what Chinese proverbs do for me. They encapsulate nuggets of wisdom that keep blooming like a rose as life fills out their meaning. The book organizes Chinese Proverbs by subject (on animals, on beauty, on experience, on family, etc) and I find it is the perfect book to keep handy to read a few each day and then mediate on their meaning.
Here are my 5 favorite Chinese proverbs on love that I found in the book.
To ask is not a crime. To be rejected is not a calamity.
This one was in the Chinese Proverbs On Experience section. It speaks to me of young love and giving ourselves permission to follow our heart.
Happiness is someone to love, something to do, and something to hope for.
This one was in the Chinese Proverbs On Friendship section. It speaks to me of how loving someone is such an important element to happiness.
A couple that has one happy day together is blessed with a hundred days of tenderness.
This one was in the Chinese Proverbs about Family section. It speaks to me of love and the importance of having fun with your spouse. As parents we can get super busy with so many other things but we have to make sure we are making time to enjoy each other as the foundation to a lasting marriage.
The pen of the tongue should be dipped in the ink of the heart.
This one was in the Chinese Proverbs On Beauty section but it speaks to me of keeping love alive. I have been learning how important it is to share my emotions instead of hiding them away. To share how my heart feels instead of keeping it to myself. I am practicing dipping the pen of tongue into the ink of my heart even when that ink doesn’t feel pretty.
What the caterpillar calls the end, the rest of the world calls a butterfly.
This one was in the Chinese Proverbs On Animals section but it speaks to me of dying love. When a love dies it feels like the end of the world but it may just be a new beginning.
I find each of these proverbs to be exquisite pearls of wisdom. I hope you enjoyed these Chinese proverbs about family, life, and love. Which of these ancient Chinese proverbs struck a chord with you? Do you have any other impactful quotes you’d like to share?
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