Jasper Republican, Volume 1, Number 8, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 6 November 1874 — Chinese Proverbs. [ARTICLE]

Chinese Proverbs.

The excellence of aphorisms has been said to consist chiefly in the comprehension of some obvious and useful truth in a few words; and if this be the case the Chinese language is peculiarly adapted for the production of proverbs, for it possesses from its peculiar structure a beauty and pointedness of expression which, however, no degree of care or pains can adequately convey into a translation. : Let us cite from various sources a few of the numerous aphorisms, maxims and proverbs current among the Chinese, many of which will suggest parallel sentiments in our own and otter languages: By a long Journey we know of a horse’s strength; so length of days shows a man’s heart. » , To correct an evil which already exists is not so well as to foresee and prevent it Wine and good dinners make abundance of friends, but in the time of advorsity not one is to be found. Cautious conduct under circumstances of suspicion is inculcated somewhat oddly by the following: In a field of melons do not pull up your shoe; under a plum? tree do not adjust your cap. “ Tempus fugit” becomes, in Chinese, “Time flies like an arrow; days and months like a weaver’s shuttle.” Do not anxiously expect what is not yet come; do not vainly regret what is already past. The Chinese evidently agree with Solomon’s well-known advice to a parent, for they say, “If you love your son, be liberal in punishment; if you hate your son, accustom him to dainties.” If you would understand the character of the prince, examine his ministers; if you would understand the disposition of any man, look at his companions; if you would know that of a father, observe his

son. The fame of men’s good actions seldom goes beyond their own doors, but their evil deeds are carried to the distance of a thousand miles. Though powerful medicines are nauseous to taste, they are good for the disease ; though candid advice is unpleasant to the ear, it is profitable for the conduct. From the following simile lookingglasses are evidently appreciated by Chinese ladies: Without a clear mirror a woman cannot know the state of her own face; without a true friend a man cannot discern the errors of his own actions. The evidence of others is not comparable to personal experience, nor is“l heard” as good as “ I saw.” The three great misfortunes in life are, in youth to bury one’s father, in middle age to lose one’s wife, and being old to have no son. The strong feeling existing among the Chinese against a widow’s marrying a second husband is clearly seen in the following: It being asked, “ Supposing a widowed woman to be very poor and destitute, might she in such a case take a second husband?” it was answered, “This question arises merely from the fear of cold and hunger; but to be starved to death is a very small matter compared with the loss of her respectability.” The Chinese, be it observed, are great sticklers for propriety and respectability, and are very much afraid of what they term “losing face.” He who at once knows himself and knows others will triumph as often as he contends. It is too late to pull the rein when the horse has gained the brink of the precipice ; the time for stopping the leak is past when the vessel is in the midst of tho nver.

It is easy to convince a wise man, but to reason with a fool is a’difficult undertaking. To meet with an old friend in a distant country may be compared to the delightfulness of rain after a long drought. The truth of the following sentiment is, we all know, not confined to China: Though a poor man should live in the midst of a noisy market, no one will ask about him; though a rich man should bury himself among the mountains, his relations will come to him from afar. A single conversation across the table with a wise man is better than ten years’ mere study of books. Great goodness and great wickedness sooner or later are sure to be rewarded. Of a hundred virtues filial piety is the first. True gold fears not the fire. w A basket of grain producing only a pound of chicken-meat” is Symbolical of a losing business. “ A toad in a well cannot behold the whole heavens” is used in reference to contracted ideas. “ Climbing a tree to hunt for fish” expresses looking for things where they cannot possibly be found. To covet another man’s house and lose one’s own ox (f. e., to lose what property one already has in the effort to acquire more). “ To grind down an iron pestle to make a needle” is a Chinese way of expressing indomitable perseverance. When you converse in the road remember there are men in the grass. Our well-known meteorological doggerel, If it rains before seven, ’Twill be flue before eleven,. reappears m Chinese thus: If it rains when yon open your door, ’Twill shine when your breakfast is o'er. A blustering, harmless fellow they call “ a paper tiger.” Overdoing a thing they call “ a hunchback making a bow.” A spendthrift they compare to a “ rocket,” which gees off at onee.—Harper's Bazar.