people, places, things--has its own set of standards by which it may be judged.)
2. 锅下无火水永凉， 人无精神死人相。The water in a pot without a fire beneath it will grow
cold; one without vitality has the face of a dead person. (Our vigor keeps us spirited; our passions
keep us alive.)
3. 满瓶子隐隐当当， 半瓶子晃里晃荡。A full bottle stands stable, solid; half a bottle sways to
and fro. (A full commitment outdoes anything halfhearted, wishy-washy.)
4. 立志容易，成事险难。[To talk of] Resolve is easy; actually accomplishing a task can be
perilous and difficult. (Talk is cheap; results speak volumes.)
5. 读书不知意， 等于嚼树皮。To study without grasping the significance of the topic (i.e., to
study passively) is akin to munching just on bark. (One must approach one's activities, especially
one's studies, completely engaged, with total mindfulness.)
6. 水不流要臭， 人不学必愚。Stagnant water begins to stink; a person who doesn't study will
become stupid. (Without the constant stimulation and knowledge from studying and learning, one's
mind will eventually just languish.)
7. 壮士穷途不卖剑，秀才饿死不卖书。A poor warrior wouldn't resort to selling his sword; a
scholar on the verge of starving to death wouldn't sell his books. (A person of great resolve
remains rock steady; a true person of honor and integrity doesn't sell out.)
8. 智慧是穿不破的衣裳， 知识是取不尽的宝藏。Wisdom is a set of clothes that never wears
out; intelligence is an inexhaustible storehouse of treasure. (Knowledge, perhaps including
wisdom, is a gift that keeps on giving and something that no one can ever take away from you . . .
provided you have done the requisite studying.)
9. 葡萄不熟才酸， 人若无知才傲。Unripe grapes are sure to be sour; an unlearned individual is
sure to be arrogant. (How interesting--and especially sad--it is that some people are proud of
their own ignorance! Those who are most vain tend to be stunted in their educational
development.)
10. 学习的路程从阿妈的怀窝到坟坑。Studying and learning are a lifelong road from
Grandmother's lap to the grave. (Living and learning--they never stop. Other Mandarin
speakers would say, "To have studied and learned a long time means to have lived a long time"
[活到老学到老].)
11. 一根毛线不成绳， 一根树木不成林。A strand of hair doesn't make a rope; a single tree
isn't a whole forest. (Aristotle said that "one swallow does not a whole summer make." We
can also say that it is too easy to settle for half measures, quasi-victories, and so on. Real
accomplishments require hard work and sweat.)
12. 人多力量大， 蚂蚁搬泰山。People united are invincible; if enough ants could unite, they
could even move Mount Tai. (Mount Tai appears in many proverbs as a steady, unmovable
presence. "Two heads are better than one, " the old saying goes.).
13. 人离群太孤单， 羊背群狼喜欢。The person who leaves the group will be friendless; wolves
appreciate the lambs that reject the flock. ("United we stand; divided we fall.")
14. 向你笑的人不一定都是你的朋友， 生你气的人不一定都是你的敌人。Those who laugh
with you are not necessarily your friends; those who are cross with you are not necessarily
your enemies. (These are words to share with our children, who too often happily claim their
friends "are always there for them," while bemoaning how their parents have to admonish
them from time to time, something their friends don't do. As I tell my students, "Your friends
don't wash your underwear, cook your dinner, or pay for your braces. Your parents do that. They
will also sit on your bed at three in the morning on nights you can't sleep and comfort and listen
to you as you recount tales of teenage woe.")
15. 一步走错， 百步难赶。With one step in the wrong direction, a person might find
a hundred steps not enough to get back on the right course. ("If your train is on the wrong track,
every station you come to is the wrong station"--Bernard Malamud. The need for good
preparations, a clear vision, and a good start can never be overstated.)
from
回族谚语: 回族智慧结晶 [Hui Proverbs: Crystallization of Hui Wisdom]; Changji Hui Autonomous Prefecture Literary Alliance, ed. N.P., 2016; [Kindle Paperwhite].
13. 人离群太孤单， 羊背群狼喜欢。The person who leaves the group will be friendless; wolves
appreciate the lambs that reject the flock. ("United we stand; divided we fall.")
14. 向你笑的人不一定都是你的朋友， 生你气的人不一定都是你的敌人。Those who laugh
with you are not necessarily your friends; those who are cross with you are not necessarily
your enemies. (These are words to share with our children, who too often happily claim their
friends "are always there for them," while bemoaning how their parents have to admonish
them from time to time, something their friends don't do. As I tell my students, "Your friends
don't wash your underwear, cook your dinner, or pay for your braces. Your parents do that. They
will also sit on your bed at three in the morning on nights you can't sleep and comfort and listen
to you as you recount tales of teenage woe.")
15. 一步走错， 百步难赶。With one step in the wrong direction, a person might find
a hundred steps not enough to get back on the right course. ("If your train is on the wrong track,
every station you come to is the wrong station"--Bernard Malamud. The need for good
preparations, a clear vision, and a good start can never be overstated.)
from
回族谚语: 回族智慧结晶 [Hui Proverbs: Crystallization of Hui Wisdom]; Changji Hui Autonomous Prefecture Literary Alliance, ed. N.P., 2016; [Kindle Paperwhite].
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