67
COMMON CHINESE PROVERBS.
Not to distinguish properly between the beautiful and ugly, is like attach- ing a dog's tail to a squirrel's body.
An avaricious man, who can never have enough, is as a serpent wishing to swallow an elephant.
While one misfortune is going to have another coming, is like driving a tiger out of the front door, while a wolf is entering the back. The tiger's cub can not be caught without going into his den. To paint a snake and add legs. (Exaggeration.)
To sketch a tiger and make it a dog, is to imitate a work of genius and spoil it.
A fierce wolfish man is like the scathed branchless trunk of a tree.
To ride a fierce dog to catch a lame rabbit. (Useless power over a contemptible enemy.)
To attack a thousand tigers with ten men; (to attempt a difficulty with incommensurate means.)
To cut off a hen's head with a battle-axe; (unnecessary valor.)
To cherish a bad man is like nourishing a tiger; if not well fed he will devour you: or like rearing a hawk; if hungry he will stay by you, but fly away when fed.
Human joys are like the skippings of a sparrow.
To instigate a villain to do wrong, is like teaching a monkey to climb trees. To catch a fish and throw away the net;-not to requite benefits. To take a locust's shank for the shaft of a carriage;-an inefficient person set to do important work.
A pigeon sneering at a roc;—a mean man despising a prince. To climb a tree to catch a fish, is to talk much and get nothing.
To test one good horse by judging the portrait of another.
As a fish out of water so is a poor homeless man.
The fish sports in the kettle, but his life will not be long.
Like a swallow building her nest on a hut, is an anxious statesman.
Like a frog in a well is a man of small thoughts.
Like a crane among hens is a man of parts among fools.
Like a sheep dressed in a tiger's skin is a superficial scholar.
Like a cuckoo in a magpie's nest, is one who enjoys another's labor. To hang on the tail of a beautiful horse; (to seek promotion.)
Do not pull up your stockings in a melon field, or arrange your hat under a peach tree, lest people think you are stealing.
An old man marrying a young wife is like a withered willow sprouting. By a long journey we know a horse's strength; so length of days shows a man's heart.
Let us get drunk to-day while we have wine; the sorrows of to-morrow may be borne to-niorrow.
J
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