What Is A Chinese Proverb

LEARNING 300 CHINESE PROVERBS

Chinese proverbs are, in a sense, the DNA of Chinese culture and language. The meanings of many of these proverbs may not be obvious to Westerners. For example when Chinese say the proverb “Dog chases mouse,” they mean “Mind your own business”—that is, dogs don’t chase mice; it’s not their job. In the process of truly making a connection with Chinese language and culture, a solid understanding of these proverbs goes a long way. Learning 300 Chinese Proverbs presents a unique book of Chinese proverbs that can be used as a tool for learning spoken and written Mandarin Chinese. This helpful, practical reference is complete with a section on grammar and offers an innovative approach to learning correct pronunciation, useful to both the beginner and the advanced student. Each proverb represents a new and unique lesson in Mandarin Chinese, using Simplified Chinese and the Pinyin transliteration system. Learning 300 Chinese Proverbs is so much more than a Chinese textbook; it also offers an overview of the Chinese civilization and language that goes back thousands of years.

ABC Dictionary of Chinese Proverbs (Yanyu)

This Chinese-English dictionary of proverbs (yanyu) consists of approximately 4,000 Chinese proverbs alphabetically arranged by the first word(s) (ci) of the proverb according to the Hanyu Pinyin transcription and Chinese characters (standard simplified), followed by a literal (and when necessary also a figurative) English translation. Additional data such as brief usage notes, sources, parallel expressions, cross-references, and famous instances of use are provided where available. The proverbs are supplemented by an index of key words (both Chinese and English) found in all entries and of all topics addressed. The author has provided a scholarly introduction analyzing the definition, structure, usage, and history of these yanyu in traditional and contemporary China as well as a bibliography of collections and relevant scholarly studies of yanyu. This work, the first such scholarly collection to appear since the Reverend Scarborough’s 1926 collection, will be of use not only to sinologists in a wide variety of fields, including anthropology, literature, sociology, psychology, and history, but also to non-Chinese readers interested in Chinese culture or comparative ethnolinguistic and paremiological research.

A Collection of Chinese Proverbs translated and arranged by William Scarborough