University of Virginia Library

CHINESE PROVERBS
AND
APOTHEGMS.

A Bark of plain boards, joined together
only with glue, cannot hold out long
against the large billows[3] .

[That is, where pains have not been taken
to form the mind, it will be likely to sink under
adversity.]

A blemish may be taken out of a diamond
by strongly polishing it: but a blemish in
the words of a king can never be effaced[4] .

A diamond with flaws is preferred before a
common stone that hath none[5] .

[Meaning that great excellences with some
imperfections, are better than a faultless insipidity.]

* A drum, if it be not beat, gives no noise: a

bell, if it be not struck upon, returns no
sound.

[See the application of this proverb in the
foregoing Hist. vol. 2. pag, 111. and vol. 4.
pag. 60.]

A fault acknowledged is half amended[6] .

[This is the same with the French, Faute confessée
est à demi pardonée.]

A flower is pleasing to the eye, while the firtree
hath nothing beautiful in it: the splendor
of the one is not an equivalent for the
durableness of the other[7] .

[We say, 'Tis better to knit than blossom. And,
Prettyness makes no pottage. See Ray.]

* A good beginning is of importance in all
undertakings: and a slight fault may have
fatal consequences[8] .

[Remarks of this kind are common in all
languages. Lat. Dimidium facti, qui bene cæpit,
habet. Fr. De bon commencement bon fin.]

* A good founder can use every metal: an
able lapidary the coarsest stones[9] .

[We say, A good workman never complains of
his tools.]

A grave and majestic outside is, as it were,
the palace where virtue resides[10] .

[This is a favourite maxim with the Chinese:
who affect an exterior beyond all other nations.]

A great talker never wants enemies: the man
of sense speaks little and hears much[11] .

["I have heard persons, who speak little,"
saith a Chinese author, "compared to certain
trees, who have little beauty, but whose
fruits are excellent. A talkative person may
be likened to a fair tree without any fruit."
P. Du Halde, 1. 630.]

* A horse that is ready to gallop, when he
leaves the stable, is not one of those, which
can make a thousand Lee on a stretch[12] .

[Equivalent to the Eng. Fair and softly goes
far. The Lat. Nimium properans serius absolvit.
And to the Ital: Presto e bene non si conviene;
i. e. Hastily and well never meet.—N. B. One
thousand Lee, is a hundred leagues.]

A hundred years, when past, are no more
than the twinkling of an eye: let us then
employ usefully what days we have to live[13] .

A mag-pye builds her nest, and the bird Kiew
places herself there afterwards[14] .

[Equivalent to the Latin, "Sic vos, non vobis,
nidificatis aves.—The Kiew is probably the
Cuckow.]

* A man and woman that can be together
alone, and yet preserve their chastity, can
break no law.

[See the foregoing Hist. vol. 2. pag. 145.]

A man born in the country of either Tsi or
Tsu, will infallibly have its accent[15] .

[Tsi and Tsu were formerly two little kingdoms
now swallowed up in the Chinese empire.—This
proverb expresses the contagion of
example, and the difficulty of conquering national
habits. The ancients had Adages something
like it, as, Barbarus evasit inter barbaros.
And, Mores hominum regioni respondent. Vid.
Eras. Adag.]

* A man never opens a book without reaping
some advantage from it[16] .

A man who hath neither equity, application
nor politeness, is a savage beast whose head
is covered with a bonnet[17] .

* A man, without constancy, will neither make
a good diviner nor a physician[18] .

* A modest woman never marries two husbands:
a faithful minister ought not to
serve two kings[19] .

[The meaning of this proverb is ascertained
by the following passage in a Chinese author.
"Is it not said that a great man, who is loyal

to his prince, quits all offices after his master's
death? A virtuous widow never thinks
of a second husband?" P. Du Halde, vol. 2.
p. 169.—N. B. The Chinese erect triumphal
arches to, and canonize for saints, such widows
as have resisted second addresses with exemplary
firmness.—And upon a revolution of
government the Mandarines have frequently
refused to survive their dethroned masters.
Vid. P. Du Halde passim.]

A passion indulged, is a kind of drunkenness;
its remedy consists in two words, ke-ki, vanquish
thyself[20] .

[The Spaniards have a proverb, "Colirico
sanguino, Borracho fine; i. e. A sanguine choleric
man, is a downright drunkard.]

A passion we do not get rid of, is like a moth
that flies round a taper until it be burnt[21] .

* A pear is returned for a peach: you shall
not reap what you have sowed[22] .

Applied when a just return is not made for a
favour received.—To the same effect is that saying
of the ancients, Alij sementem faciunt, alij
metent. Eras. Adag.]

A pismire and a rat are very little insects, yet
all beings formed of the five elements are
liable to be destroyed by as vile animals[23] .

[Equivalent to the Eng. There are no small ene-

mies. N. B. The five elements are, according
to the Chinese, Mû wood, Ho fire, Tu earth, Kin
metal, Shwi water. P. Du Halde, 2. 183, 185.]

A small chink may cause shipwreck to the
greatest vessel: an insect never so small may
by its bite occasion your death[24] .

A spark may kindle a [great] fire: a mole
may undermine a rampart[25] .

[So the Fr. Il ne faut qu'une etincelle de fe pour
causer un grand incendie. See also Ecclus. xj.
32.—The three preceding proverbs seem to
have all the same tendency, viz. to inspire caution,
from the reflection that the most contemptible
causes often produce the most fatal effects.]

A sovereign may be compared to a hall: his
officers to the steps that lead to it, the people
to the ground on which they stand[26] .

A stab with the tongue is worse than with the
sword: a stab with the pen, than both[27] .

["On the right side of the chair of Tsin-hien,
saith a Chinese author "was this inscription,
"Answer not a letter in a passion." P. Du Halde,
2. 109. N. B. The French say, Tel coup de
langue est pire qu'un coup de lance: i. e. A stroke
with the tongue is worse than a stroke with the
lance.—And the Spaniards, Mas hiere mala
palabra, que espada afilada; i. e. A bad word
wounds more than a sharp sword.]

A thumb below is more to be regarded than
an hundred arms on high: more attention
is due to one step behind, than to a hundred
leagues before[28] .

[This proverb is a perfect enigma, yet (if
one may venture to decypher it,) seems
intended to convey this useful moral; that
man is formed to act in a narrow and contracted
sphere, and ought not to entertain either
very remote fears or hopes: in the first place, that
he ought to confine his attention to present rather
than very distant dangers: secondly, that
he should rather employ his thoughts in the recollection
of his own past actions, than in vain
and anxious researches into futurity.—The first
clause is not very remote from the Lat. Quod
est ante pedes nemo spectat, cæli scrutantur plagas.]

* A village mouth is good physic.

[That is, the honest countryman's advice
flows from sincerity, and may be depended on.
See the foregoing Hist. vol. 2. p. 235.]

A wealthy house, whence justice and charity
are banished, what is it but a barren mountain,
which contains in its bosom rich, but
useless metals[29] ?

A wise man avoids the very appearance of vice[30] .

* A wise prince is safe in ramparts of gold[31] .

[Meaning in the affections of his subjects, and

in the skill and fidelity of his well-chosen ministers.]

A wise prince makes advantage of even the
words of a fool[32] .

[It is a trite saying in all languages, that a
wise man may sometimes profit by a fool's advice,
or as the Spaniards have it, De un hombre
necio a vezes buen consejo.]

A word once let fall cannot be fetched back
by a chariot and four horses[33] .

[The Spaniards say, Palabra y pierda suelta,
no tiene buelta: i. e. A word and a stone once
discharged never return. Lat. Nescit vox missa
reverti.]

* Above is heaven: below is Su-chew and
Hang-chew[34] .

[These are two delightful cities or districts,
esteemed the paradise of China. See Martin. Atlas,
p. 100.]

Adversity is an admirable medicine, whereof
one dose cures many diseases, and secures
the health of him that takes it all his life[35] .

* All the grains of rice served up in your dish,
have been watered with the sweat of the
labourer[36] .

[This is designed to correct the superciliousness
of the great, and their readiness to despise

and set light by the poor.—The Chinese have
another proverb to the same purpose, viz. "A
grain of rice, a single thread, all comes from
the sweat of the poor." Lett. ed. xxvj. 93.]

* All the constellations preside over the empire
of China, so as to concern themselves
with no other countries[37] .

[This proverb shews how exceedingly partial
the Chinese are to their country. The Tartar
Emperor Cang-hi was wont to laugh at this
prejudice, and to beg of the Chinese to leave
at least a few stars to take care of the neighbouring
kingdoms.—We say in jest, There are
no stars for Irish men.]

* An amiable prince is the father and mother
of his people[38] .

[See the foregoing Hist. vol. 1. pag. 205.]

An old man without virtue, and a poor man
without industry, are two characters with
whom we ought to have neither correspondence
nor difference[39] .

[Supposing them so desperate and abandoned,
that it is not safe either to converse or quarrel
with them.]

* As the liquor takes the figure of the vessel
that contains it, so the subjects imitate the
prince[40] .

* As the stone Me can never become white;
so a heart defiled with iniquity will always
retain its blackness[41] .

[Me is a kind of black earth, which they rub
on the engraved letters instead of ink.—This
saying owes its birth to the Emperor Vu-vang,
who flourished 1120 years before the Christian
Æra.—It is equivalent to our homely proverb,
Once a whore and always a whore.]

At the bottom a bushel of pearls is not worth
a measure of rice[42] .

[That is, in intrinsic value.—It is also a common
saying of the Chinese, "Pearls and precious
stones are of no use either for food or
raiment." P. Du Halde, 1. 517.]

* Avoid a blast of wind, as carefully, as the
point of an arrow[43] .

[The Spaniards say, "De viento que entra por
horrado, &c. guarde dios: i. e. From a wind
that comes in through a hole, good Lord deliver
us.]

Can a man be in good health, when his leg
is swoln as large as his body; and his
finger as big as his arm[44] .

[This is chiefly applied to a kingdom, whose
ministers have attained to too exorbitant power
and wealth.]

Do not entertain a man, who hath just received
a disappointment, with an account
of your own success[45] .

Does he prosper? he is mount Tay. Does
he not prosper? he is an egg under a great
weight[46] .

[Tay is a very great and lofty mountain in
the province of Shan-tong, said to be forty Lee
or twelve miles high. Vid. Martin. Atlas. p.
55.]

Dogs and swine, the fatter they are, the nearer
their days are to an end[47] .

[Applied to such Mandarines as make too
great haste to be rich, and thereby excite the
avarice of their superiors, the envy of their
equals, and the hatred of their oppressed inferiors,
to conspire their destruction.

N. B. Dogs are fatted and eaten in China
as a delicious food, and always found at the
tables of the great. A Chinese author gives
the following as an instance of unreasonable prejudice.
"A man by night is helped to the
flesh of an ape, and being told it is the flesh
of a dog thinks it good: next morning he
is informed what he hath eaten, and falls a
vomiting." P. Du Halde, v. 2. p. 112.]

* Every one is governed by an understanding,
a memory, and a will.

[See the foregoing Hist. vol. 2. pag. 234.]

* Every one knows his own necessity, whether
it be hunger, cold or heat.

[Equivalent to the Fr. Chacun sent son mal.
Which we and the Spaniards express, by Cada
uno sabe adonde le aprieta el çapato: Every one
knows where his own shoe pinches. See the
foregoing Hist. vol. 2. pag. 234.]

Familiarity begets contempt[48] .

[This is too obvious a remark not to have
occurred to all civilized nations. Lat. Nimia familiaritas
contemptum parit. So the Fr. Eng. &c.]

Famish the measles, but feed the small-pox
full[49] .

[Ngo cha pao teou. This is an aphorism current
among the Chinese physicians. N. B.
There is reason to believe that the practice of
inoculation had its rise in China. See Lett.
edif. xx. 304, &c.]

* Four good magistrates illuminate a thousand
furlongs [Lee][50] .

[This saying takes its rise from the following
story. "The king of Guey and the king of
Tsi had a conference on their frontiers: when
the former asked the latter if he possessed any
rare and curious pearls. He answered in the
negative. But I, said the king of Guey, have

ten precious stones, so brillant, that each of
them casts a lustre over the space of twelve furlongs.
My jewels, said the other, are different
from yours, for they live and breathe. I have
four Mandarines, who preside over four provinces,
and by the lustre of their justice and
integrity illuminate a thousand furlongs." Vid.
Mart. Hist. p. 174.]

Friendships that are formed slowly, and without
much formal introduction are most
lasting[51] .

Great bells seldom strike; full vessels return
no sound[52] .

[This is used as a dissuasive from garrulity:
to which no people have such an aversion as
the Chinese: we invert the image, Empty vessels
make the greatest sound. Lat. Vacuum vas altius
pleno vase resonare.]

* Great instruments of music are of no value
to strolers: great fishes are produced in
great waters[53] .

The first clause of this proverb, is equivalent
to the Fr. A petit mercier, petit panier. Lat.
Parvum parva decent. The latter clause to the
Lat. In mari magni pisces capiuntur. Vid.
Erasm. Adag.]

He is happy, who understands his happiness[54] .

[This is illustrated by a passage in a Chinese
author. "Seeing a gentleman before me on
a fine horse, while I am mounted on a
wretched mule; Ah! I cry, how different
is my condition!—I look behind me, and
see numbers of people on foot stooping under
heavy burdens: then my complaints
cease, and I am comforted." Compare, P.
Du Halde, vol. 2. p. 115. with p. 230.]

* He maintains a three-eared argument, or
an argument for three ears[55] .

[This is commonly applied to those who
maintain paradoxes, and impossible positions:
and took its rise from an argument once held
by the philosopher Sung-tung (who lived 114
years before Christ.) That every man hath
three ears: one internal and two without.]

* He spends as if his father were receiver of
the Emperor's revenue in the province of
Yun-nan[56] .

[It is in this province that gold dust is gathered
out of the sands of the rivers:—which
to a Chinese officer must afford fine opportunities
of cheating the public.]

* He, who aims at being virtuous, is like a
man, who climbs up a steep mountain: he

who abandons himself to vice, is like a man
who descends a very steep precipice[57] .

He, who is proud of his dignity and power, or
puffed up with his knowledge, is like a
man, who stands on a glittering piece of
ice, and boasts of his elevation: but the
sun darts its rays, the ice melts, and he
sinks into the mire[58] .

* He, who is observed by ten eyes, and pointed
at by ten fingers, how cautious should he
live[59] .

* He, who eats another man's bread, submits
himself to suffer his blows[60] .

* He who suffers, hath some comfort in singing
his pains[61] .

[This seems equivalent to the Spanish proverb,
Quien canta sus males espanta, i. e. "He
who sings, frights away his misfortunes, that is,
eases and diverts them.]

* He who doth not love tea, covets wine[62] .

* Heaven and hell are seated in the heart[63] .

[This fine saying is common with the Chinese.
To the same effect our celebrated poet,

Par. lost. b. 1. v. 254.]

Heaven penetrates into the bottom of hearts,
as light into a dark chamber[64] .

[It may be worth while to see how the
ancient Chinese expressed themselves on the subject
of some of the divine attributes. "It is
in vain to hide one's self in the dark: nothing
is hid from Shang-ti (or the Supreme
Emperor) The night is with him as clear as
the day. He penetrates into the most hidden
corners where the malignity of man's
heart would withdraw itself from his fight:
he is present every where, and darts his light
into the most obscure windings of the most
impenetrable labyrinth, where any one would
attempt to conceal himself." P. Du Halde,
vol. 1. p. 406.]

* Honour the dead, as you would honour
them if they were alive[65] .

[Or, as it is sometimes expressed by the Chinese,
"Behave with regard to the dead, as if
they were still alive."—This is the favourite
maxim of the Chinese: and seems more founded
on justice and good sense, than that maxim
so current with us, "De mortuis nil nisi bonum."]

* How can any one be faultless, unless he
were a Yau or a Shun[66] .

[These are two ancient Chinese Emperors
revered as saints or heroes, whose reigns are
regarded as the golden age of China. — They
were both raised by their merit to the throne:
Yau being a petty regulo: and Shun a poor
labourer. "Shun, saith a Chinese author, had
not so much ground as would serve for erecting
a stile or driving a stake, yet was afterwards
Emperor. Yau whose jurisdiction did
not extend over ten families, saw himself
master of the whole empire." P. Du Halde,
v. 1. p. 483.]

However sure a horse may be, we must not
all at once throw up the bridle to him:
however familiar one may be one with another,
one must not at once trust all the
secrets of one's heart to his mouth[67] .

* I shall be as the bird, that carries a golden
ring to the person who hath set it at liberty[68] .

[This is a common expression of gratitude
for a favour received, and will receive illustration
from a passage in a Chinese edict, viz.
"You have doubtless heard the history of Yam-pao:
he found in his way a bird, who drew
after it with great difficulty a cord tied to its

leg. Yam-pao moved with compassion freed
it from its incumbrance, and set it at liberty.
He was quickly rewarded for this service:
the bird soon after returned holding in its
beak a ring of gold, which she put into the
hand of her deliverer. History relates that
from that time the family of Yam-pao remarkably
flourished, and afterwards gave
many prime ministers to the state. It is thus
that even slight services, bring down great
rewards from heaven." Lettres edif. xv.
p. 174.]

* I shall render a service equal to that of the
pismires saved from shipwreck by means of
the branches thrown out for that purpose[69] .

[This is likewise a proverbial expression of
gratitude, but we have not been fortunate enough
to recover the story on which it is founded.
Yet it might be illustrated from a fable of Esop,
viz. "A dove perched on a tree, observed a
pismire drowning in an adjacent stream,
and moved with compassion threw in a
small branch, by means of which it escaped
shipwreck: soon after a fowler seeing our charitable
dove seated on the same tree, was
spreading his nets to insnare her: when the
grateful pismire stung him by the heel, and
by causing him to turn, alarmed the dove,
who instantly flew away and escaped the
danger."]

If a leopard or a tyger break out of the royal
park, who is to answer for it?[70]

[That is, if any damage is done by a king's
neglect, who is to call him to an account for it?]

If a man had no inclination to kill the tyger,
the tyger would have no desire to hurt a
man[71] .

[There is another saying contrary to this in
P. Du Halde, 2. 176. "A man never thinks
of hurting a tyger: and yet a tyger is always
meditating mischief against a man."]

If sometimes the Ki-lin and Fong-whang are
found on the earth: there are a far greater
number of tygers, serpents and scorpions[72] .

[Meaning, that ill characters abound in the
world more than good ones.—The Ki-lin and
Fong-whang are a fabulous beast and bird, said
never to be seen, but in times preceding some
remarkable happy reign:—answerable to the
unicorn and phænix among us.]

If the bundle of thorns, which is wrapt round
the young tree to defend it, bind it too hard,
it crushes it[73] .

[Meaning, that youth should not be so oppressed
with instruction and discipline, as to

discourage them. "Some persons, saith a Chinese
Author, "keep their children so constantly
to their studies, that they will neither let
them see nor hear what passes in the world.
Whence they become as silly as the young
man, who happening to be in the public
square, and seeing a hog, cried out, What
an enormous size that rat is of!" P. Du
Halde, v. 1. p. 50.]

If one doth not pluck off the branches of a
tree while they are yet tender: they cannot
afterwards be cut off without the ax[74] .

[This proverb inculcates the necessity of early
culture, of restraining the passions and of checking
the vicious excesses of young minds betimes.
Ovid uses an image not unlike this,

If the father of a family bathe every day, his
children will be skilful swimmers: if he
steal melons and fruits, his children will be
assassins and incendiaries[75] .

[This is designed to express the force of example
in fathers and governors of families over
the minds of their dependents, who are sure
not only to copy, but to go beyond him. To
the same purpose the Latin poet,

Hor. Lib. 3. od. 6.]

* If you would know how the son will turn
out, look upon the father or the tutor[76] .

[We say in England "The young cock crows
after the old one.]

* If you have no experience in an affair yourself:
follow those that have succeeded in it.[77]

* If the water be even ten yin deep, one may
distinguish from the surface, whether the
bottom be iron or gold[78] .

[That is, however the mind and its sentiments
may be covered by dissimulation, it will
be seen through, if it be remarkably good, or
bad. — A yin is 80 feet. P. Du Halde, 1. 464.]

If to a beautiful countenance you apply a caustic
of mugwort, the scar will for ever be
seen: a black spot upon a white habit will
last as long as the habit[79] .

[To the same effect with those lines of Gay;

Fab. xj.]

* If there are in the court of a prince seven
officers truly zealous, and who dare remonstrate:
though he be irregular, he will
not lose his crown[80] .

[In the Chinese annals may be met with many
remarkable instances of exemplary courage,
fidelity, and public spirit: there have been ministers,
who have freely reproved the Emperor
when he was acting wrong, though certain
death was the consequence:—See this vol. pag.
141. note.]

* If the excesses of debauchery make great havock
of the body: the vexation of the body
makes still greater[81] .

In company set a guard upon your tongue:
In solitude on your heart[82] .

In all things conform to the taste of wise
antiquity[83] .

[No people have such a blind veneration for
antiquity as the Chinese. They even pay a
kind of religious worship to their dead ancestors.
See vol. 1. p. 164. note.]

In former times they yielded the way without
dispute: they yielded the field without
process[84] .

In vain would a king govern like a Yau or a
Shun, with a book of laws three feet thick,
if he kept his hands across and did not exert
himself.

* In the mountains of the south there is a
leopard, who notwithstanding his voraciousness,
will live seven days without food in
the rainy seasons, rather than go out, and
spoil the lustre of his skin[85] .

[This is applied to a person, who is so dazzled
with the lustre of his present greatness and
rank, as to be regardless of the future: but it
seems more applicable to a finical foppish person.
Chinese foppery we have described by
one of their own authors. "There are some
persons, saith he, who at the very time when
an important affair is upon their hands, very
deliberately look upon themselves in mirrour,
wash themselves in a vessel of perfumes,
gently shake the dust from their
cloaths, and are employed in a thousand
little frivolous affairs before they enter on
the main business." P. Du Halde, 2. 53.]

* In matters of state the prince alone ought to
decide: but in domestic affairs the empress
ought to rule[86] .

[The latter clause ought only to be understood
"within the women's apartments:" or

at least with greater restriction than in Europe
for it is a received maxim in all the eastern
countries, that that sex is excluded by nature
from all government, either civil or domestic;
for which reason they call Europe "the kingdom
of ladies;" where they have been told that
the crown hath descended to a female head.
Mod. Univ. Hist. viij. 161. n.]

* In China there is nothing thrown away[87] .

[Chung-que-vu-y-vo. — China is so prodigiously
crowded with inhabitants, that there
are no shifts, to which the poor have not recourse
for a livelihood. As there is hardly
a spot of ground that lies untilled in all the empire,
so there is hardly a man, woman or
child, though never so disabled, but what gets
a maintenance. The Chinese will make a profit
of things which appear to us quite useless.
Many families subsist by picking up in the
street little rags, the feathers of fowls, bones of
dogs, bits of paper, &c. which they wash and
sell again.—In short a Chinese will dig a whole
day together up to his knees in water, and in
the evening will think himself well paid with a
little boiled rice, pot herbs, and some tea. P.
Du Halde, v. 1. p. 277.]

* In China are more tutors than scholars: and
more physicians than patients[88] .

[A proverbial exaggeration of the prodigious

numbers that addict themselves to literature
and medicine. The great honors that attend
the former, invite vast multitudes to pursue it.
a great part of whom being rejected at the examinations,
have no other means of support,
but in teaching others.]

* In China they require boats of paper and
watermen of iron[89] .

[This proverb arises from the difficult navigation
of several of the Chinese rivers: which,
on account of their swift current among the
rocks, &c obliges them to have boats of very
thin boards like our slit deal, which are not
nailed, but some how fastened together with
withs: These boats split not against the rocks,
but bend and give way.]

* In the province of Can-tong are three unusual
things: the sky without snow; the
trees always green; and the inhabitants
continually spitting blood[90] .

[The last clause alludes to their delighting to
chew areck and betel, as is common in other
parts of the East. — It is thus that the other
Chinese speak of the inhabitants of this province.]

* Inclose the game on three sides only[91] .

[Meaning that we should not destroy the
whole of it at once, but make a reserve for future
occasions.—Parallel to that saying with us,
"Good sportsmen always let the hen partridge
escape."]

Indigence and obscurity are the parents of vigilance
and œconomy. Vigilance and œconomy
of riches and honour. Riches and honour
of pride and luxury. Pride and luxury
of impurity and idleness. And impurity
and idleness of indigence and obscurity:
such are the revolutions of life[92] .

* It is better for a prince to hoard up in his
subjects houses, than in his own granaries
and coffers[93] .

* It is better to take a net and catch the fish,
than to see and admire them swimming in
the water[94] .

[Equivalent to that proverb of ours, "A
bird in the hand is worth two in the bush: or
as the Spaniards have it, Mas vale paxaro in
mano, que buytre volando: i. e. A sparrow in
hand is worth more than a vulture flying.]

It is not for the valley alone where it grows,
that the flower Lan is so beautiful and fragrant:
neither ought it to be for yourself
alone that you should acquire wisdom[95] .

[Of like application with those words of
scripture, Neither do men light a candle and put it
under a bushel, but in a candlestick, and it giveth
light to all that are in the house.—Let your light so
shine before men, &c. Mar. v. 15. 16.]

It is not one diamond that gives lustre to
another, a common coarse stone is employed
for that purpose[96] .

[Equivalent to the Eng. A diamond is best
shewn by its foil.]

It is very difficult to govern women and servants[97]
.

[This is a maxim of Confucius, who assigns
this reason. "For if you treat them with gentleness
and familiarity, they lose all respect:
if with rigour, you'll have continual disturbance."]

* If the river is deep, which you are to pass
on foot, go through it cloathed in the ancient
manner: if it is shallow tuck up your
garments[98] .

[The Chinese believe that at first men went
naked, or at most loosely clad in the skin of
some animal. Vid. Mart. Hist. p. 18. — This
proverb is applied to inculcate the necessity

of accommodating one's self to the different
circumstances of life.]

* Know when to stop seasonably[99] .

* Kiang-si might furnish a breakfast to all
China; but Hu-quang might feed it fat[100] .

[A local proverb, expressing the comparative
merit of these two provinces.]

* Learn to be content with what suffices[101] .

["What need have we of riches? (saith a
Chinese moralist) produce me the man, who,
content with a straw cottage and a little inclosure
of canes, employs himself in reading
the writings of our wise men, or in discoursing
on virtue: who desires no other recreation,
than to refresh himself with the cool air
by moonshine, and whose whole solicitude,
is to preserve in his heart the love of innocence
and of his neighbour." P. Du Halde,
2. 103.

Similar to the Chinese proverb are the Lat.
Quod satis est cui contingit, nihil amplius optet.
The Fr. Qui a assez, n' a plus rien à desirer. And
the Eng. Enough is as good as a feast.]

Let us love others, as we love ourselves[102] .

[A fine maxim of Confucius.]

* Look for horns in the head of a lamb newly
brought forth[103] .

[Parallel to that coarse but expressive saying
of Oliver Cromwell, "Nits will be lice."]

* Look on what is good in another, as what
you have not yet attained: shun what is
bad more than boiling water[104] .

Lying is the vice of base souls, and of the
vilest populace[105] .

* May'st thou be dragged through the hole of
a prison[106] .

[A proverbial imprecation. The Chinese
have a superstitious notion concerning the dead,
that they must not be carried out at the same
gate, they entered when alive: on this account
there is a hole in the outward court of the prisons,
whence the bodies are thrown out.]

* Men by affection are rendered blind to the
faults of their children: by avarice to the
fertility of their lands[107] .

[The first clause is answerable to that trite
saying of ours, Every crow thinks her own bird
fairest.]

* Misfortunes ride post, and never come
single[108] .

[The Latins say, Fortuna nulli obesse contenta
est semel. The French, Un malheur ne vient jamais
tout seul. And we, Misfortunes seldom come
alone.—The Italian is, Le disgratie non vengon
mai sole.]

* Money is blood: but gold is merchandize[109] .

[A proverb common among the Chinese at
Ma-cao. It both expresses the greedy temper
of the Chinese, who stick at nothing for gain:
and explains the use of gold among them, which
is not current as a medium of traffic, but is
bought and sold as a commodity. See vol. 4.
pag. 109. n.]

Mountains and plains however fertile do not
produce the flower Lyen: on the contrary
it grows easily in low neglected places[110] .

[This is intended to signify, that virtue flourishes
best in adversity, or in a low and humble
station.—It may be noted that the mountains
in China are generally cultivated, and most of
them naturally fertile: whereas the low grounds
are swampy; a great part of China having
formerly been under water. The Lyen-wha
is a fine aquatic flower, not unlike a tulip, but
of a charming smell. See P. Du Halde, v. 1.
p. 78.]

Nets are spread for the bird Tsu because of
the beauty of its wings: were it not for it;

perfume the creature She would be left in
safety[111] .

[Equivalent to the Lat. Rete non tenditur accipitri,
neque milvio. Fr. Avec les mêchants il n'y a
rien a gagner. The Italians say, La donna e la
cerasa per suo mal s' imbelletta, i. e. A woman
and a cherry are beautiful to their own hurt.—
N. B. She is the musk-animal: which is a kind
of a roe-buck, remarkable for having four long
tusks in its mouth. The musk is generated in a
little bag under its belly. Vid. P. Du Halde,
1. 324.]

* No skin, no hair[112] .

[i. e. Where there is no foundation there
can be no superstructure. Not very remote
from the Lat. Ex nihilo nihil fit.]

Not one in ten thousand dies by poison, yet
the bare mention strikes with horror: what
multitudes by intemperance, yet how little
is it feared[113] ?

[The Spaniards have a proverb. De hambre
a nadie vi morir, de mucho comer a cien mil.
"I never saw any die of hunger, of over-eating
a hundred thousand."—So the Lat. Gula plures
quam gladius peremit. Eras. Adag.]

Nothing is more to be feared than a rat within
a statue.

† Id. 1. 604.

[This was the answer, which a Chinese Mandarine
made to the Emperor, when he asked
what was most to be feared in a state. His
master demanding an explanation, he replied,
"Your Majesty knows, that in many cities, the
statues erected to the guardian Genij of the
place are of painted wood and hollow within.
If a rat gets into one of these, it is difficult to
expel it: they dare not use fire, for fear of consuming
the image: nor water, lest they wash off
the colours. Thus the respect they have for
the statue protects the rat. So it is when a man
without virtue or merit shelters himself in his
prince's favour."]

Of the five duties of civil life, the first is that
which a son owes to his parent[114] .

[The five duties are those between father
and son:—husband and wife:—emperor and
subjects:—elder brother and younger:—and
friends among one another. P. Semedo, p.
50.—N. B. The Chinese have also another saying,
"Filial piety is the chief of all personal
virtues: and equity is the soul of government."
P. Du Halde, 1. 543.]

* One may know a great man by seeing his
attendants, though one doth not see himself[115]
.

[So the Ital. Dal servo si conosce il padron.
Fr. Tel maitre tel valet. Eng. Like master, like

man. But the Spaniards say, Qual el dueno, tal
el perro: i. e. "Such as the master is, such is
his dog."]

One rash word hath ruined great affairs: one
person hath established a kingdom[116] .

[Meaning, a wise Emperor, or prime minister.]

Pillars of iron wear away by little and little
with the simple touch: one perceives the
traces of the hand upon the marble balustrades
which are often handled[117] .

[By way of comment take the following extract
from a Chinese memorial.

"Misfortunes have their seeds: the wise
man prevents their birth. To this end, the
most minute beginnings must be watched:
for what at first appears but slight, becomes
by little and little sensible and considerable.
This water which distils from mount Tay,
wears in time over the stones, a passage,
which you would think wrought with a
chizzel. A cord drawn to-and-fro over a
board many times in the same place, at length
divides it into two pieces, as if done with a
saw. In fine, yonder tree, which is now ten
feet in circumference, was raised from a very
small seedling: when it was young and tender,
it was in all respects flexible, and might

have been easily plucked up. At present
what a difference! It is the same with regard
to evil." P. Du Halde, Fr. tom. 2. p. 437.
(Eng. 1 p. 483.)

The same images are used proverbially in
the Lat. Gutta cavat lapidem, non vi sed sæpe
cadendo: and in the French, L'eau qui tombe
goute a goute cave le pierre.—See also the Latin
verses quoted above in pag. 204.]

Put a seal upon your mouth, and guard your
heart as you would the walls of a city[118] .

[The image used in the first clause is familiar
with the Chinese. "The wise man, saith a
Chinese moralist, will put a triple seal upon
his lips." Lett. ed. xxvj. 115.—The advice
is the same with that of the Latin poet,
Quid de quoque viro, et cui dicas, sæpe caveto.]

Reading gives those who apply to it, a certain
air of politeness, which diffuses itself through
all their words and actions[119] .

[This reflection, so contrary to our notions in
Europe, is expressed to the following purpose in
another saying: "Study gives to young men
an air of politeness and agreeableness, which
makes their company courted." P. Du
Halde, 2. 50.—Politeness in China consists in
the exact and ready observance of all their ceremonies:

these are so interwoven with their
laws, politics and morality, that the chief end
of their studies is to acquire a thorough knowledge
of them: hence it is that a man of letters
may be known in China by the superior address
with which he makes his bow. See on this
head L'Esprit des Loix, liv. 19. ch. 12, 13. &c.]

* Riches [only] adorn the house: [but] virtue
adorns the person[120] .

* Roofs that are thick, and well compacted, are
least liable to be blown off by a storm[121] .

[This is just the reverse of proverb the first,
"A bark of plain boards, &c. The meaning
is, that a solid and firm mind can longest bear
up against adversity.]

Rotten wood is not fit for sculpture: mud
walls are not worthy of white-wash[122] .

[Applied when culture and instruction is thrown
away upon stupid or perverse minds. Not unlike
the Lat. E quovis ligno non fit Mercurius.]

Ruin follows gain very near: and misery is at
the tail of good fortune[123] .

[The Spaniards say, Del bien al mal, no ay canto
de real. i. e. From good to evil, is not the
breadth of a six-pence.

"Among the instructions which Liwen-tsiê

had engraved on the wall, where he entertained
his friends, was the following. "Happiness
and misfortune, loss and gain, are
things, of which we see no end in this world,
because the future with regard to us, is a
dark night." See P. Du Halde v. 2. p. 100.]

See that moth, which flies incessantly round
the candle: it is consumed! Man of pleasure,
behold thy own image[124] .

* Shoes never so well made will not make a
pillow: the cap however neat will not
mend shoes[125] .

[Equivalent to the Eng. You cannot make a
silken purse of a sow's ear. The Lat. is exactly
the same with the Chinese, Ocream capiti, tibiæ
galeam adaptare. Eras. Adag.

* Sooner shall the yellow river run clear.

[See this explained, vol. 2. pag. 214.]

* Sweet repose is the fruit of intense application[126]
.

* Take care not to tell fables to a simple credulous
man, for he will take them all for
truth[127] .

[This may be illustrated by a short Chinese

tale: "A young man, who had bought a new
belt, met with one of his friends, who, looking
at it, knew it to be of his own sister's
working, and thereupon asked him how
he came by it: the other, who loved to indulge
a jesting humour, told him it was a
present from miss his sister. There needed
no more to confirm his jealousy; he went
home and so abandoned himself to passion,
that she broke her heart and died. Some time
after it was discovered that the belt had been
stolen from the house by an old woman in
the neighbourhood, who had sold it at the
next shop." P. Du Halde, 2. 56.]

Temperance is the best physic[128] .

That doctrine, which goes no farther than
the eyes and ears, is like a repast, which
one makes in a dream[129] .

[The meaning is, that the soul receives no
more advantage from instructions that reach
not to the heart, than the body from a repast
in a dream.]

* That house will soon fall, in which the
hen assumes the office and crow of the
cock[130] .

[So the Span. Triste es la casa, donde la gal-

lina canta y el gallo calla. i. e. Sad is that house,
where the hen crows and the cock is silent.]

* That which is small in appearance gives
the brightest lustre to the bravest actions[131] .

[The lustre of a great action may depend on
a trivial circumstance.—The Italians say, Tutte
le gran facende si fanno di poca cosa. Nor is the
Latin very different from the Chinese, Non rarò
par va, magnarum rerum sunt indicia. Eras. Adag.]

The best chance a man hath to escape a
danger which he cannot shun, is to face
it boldly[132] .

* The bow will break that is too much
bent.

[This is the same with the Latin adage,
Arcus nimis intensus rumpitur.—The Italian is
not very remote. Chi troppo l' assoglia presto la
scavezza, i. e. "Who wire-draws a thing too
much, soon breaksit."—See the foregoing Hist.
vol. 1. pag. 62.]

The branch of a tree that is easy and pliant,
takes whatever bent is given it[133] .

[This is applied by the Chinese to the obsequious
condescending humble man. To inculcate
the safety and utility of a disposition of
this kind, the Chinese tell the following little

tale. "The Emperor Tai-tsong one day discoursing
with his ministers, asked, "Which
is most durable, a hard thing or a soft?"
"Sir, answered Shu-hiang, I am fourscore years
of age, and I have lost many of my teeth,
but none of tongue." P. Du Halde, vol. 2.
p. 115.]

* The Chinese, though at a distance, always
honour the Emperor, when with the usual
ceremonies they receive their guests[134] .

[Martinius, who quotes this proverb, (Hist.
l. 4.) supposes it alludes to the Chinese custom,
of having the entrance of their halls, &c, to
look towards the imperial palace: so that all
their prostrations are made towards the Emperor's
throne, who is by this means, considered
as a kind of divinity every where present.—
Perhaps it has a farther meaning, and implies
that every act of decency and good order, is a
tacit respect paid to the Emperor, and does honour
to his government.]

* The contention between the bird and the
oyster is the fisherman's gain[135] .

[There is a kind of shell-fish on the coasts
of China, which often lies asleep in the sun
with the shell open; in which state if it is
espied by the sea-fowls, it is greedily seized
as a desirable prey: but the fish clasping its

shell together, often entraps and detains its
enemy, till both become the prize of the
fisherman. Mart. Hist. p. 224.]

* The demons hear the words of the bargain
made with the inchanter: the work overhears
what the workman pronounces in
his indignation[136] .

[The Chinese have a superstitious notion, that
the curses of a workman pronounced over a
building, will prevent the family that lives in
it from thriving. Vide locum citat.]

The dyke once broken, we can no longer
stop the torrent[137] .

[Solomon hath used the same image with a
particular application. The beginning of strife
is, as when one letteth out water: therefore leave
off contention before it be meddled with. Prov.
xvij. 14.]

* The Emperor lets loose so many murderers,
dogs and wolves, when he creates Mandarines
to govern them[138] .

[See this explained, vol. 2. p. 165. note.]

The fair tree was not destroyed because its
branches were broken, or its leaves beaten
down: but because its roots were spoiled
and corrupted[139] .

[The same image occurs in a Chinese memorial:
and is applied to the state of the empire
under the reign of Ngai-ti, who while
he was extending its boundaries by conquest, neglected
the internal administration, "Though
nothing could be more glorious in appearance,
I compare it (says the writer) to a
great tree which shoots forth large branches
and thick leaves, but whose trunk and roots
the worms devour. The tree, notwithstanding
its beautiful appearance, is in great danger."
P. Du Halde, v. 1. p. 499.]

* The family which applies itself to amass a
treasure of virtues, shall want for nothing:
it shall enjoy a felicity beyond its very
desires[140] .

* The family which gives itself up to the
practice of evil, shall be overwhelmed with
afflictions[141] .

* The fortune of children ought to be of their
own making[142] .

[Equivalent to the Lat. Quisque faber fortunæ
suæ. And to the Span. Cada uno es hijo de sus
obras, i. e. Every one is the son of his works.—
The above maxim holds so true in China, that
it is common to see the grandson of a Prime
Minister, reduced to so mean an estate, as to

become a dealer in some little retail traffic, &c.
P. Magal. p. 146.]

* The greatest rivers, and the very sea itself,
are lower than the smallest brooks, without
losing their superiority[143] .

[This is used as a lesson of condescension
and humility to great men.]

* The greatest things very frequently have
but small beginnings[144] .

[Tis Apothegm will perhaps receive illustration
from the following Chinese images.
"The glow-worm borrows its lustre from a
heap of rotten herbs in which it is ingendered:
the most odoriferous flowers owe their
beauty and fragrance to a dunghill: light
issues from the womb of darkness: the most
limpid water bursts out of a [small] opening
of the earth." P. Du Halde, v. 2. p. 45.]

The heart is a country of prodigious extent:
life were it never so long would not afford
sufficient time to sow it all over[145] .

["This year," said Li-wen-tsie one day to
himself, "I am fifty-six years of age: few
people live beyond seventy, I have therefore
but ten or twelve years to hope for; of this
small remnant of life, the inconveniences of
old age will consume a great part; there

remains then but a small pittance of time,
in which I can do good: how then shall
dare to steal any from it to do evil?" P. Du
Halde, vol. 2. p. 113.]

* The husband and wife are like the birds
of the field: in the evening they meet in
the same thicket, but separate in the morning[146]
.

The king of Tsi had a thousand chariots of
horses, yet after he was slain, the people
found no virtue in him deserving applause.
Pe-y and Sho-tse died of want at the foot
of the mountain Sheu-yang, yet are they
celebrated to this day[147] .

[This is a saying of Confucius.—Tsi was
formerly a little kingdom, now swallowed up
in the Chinese empire.—Pe-y and Sho-tse were
two brothers remarkably virtuous.—China is
so populous, that in a year of dearth, multitudes
are sure to perish by want: a misfortune
to which the most virtuous poor must
be most liable, as disdaining to support life
by those dishonest means so generally practised
in China.]

* The lamp goes out when the oil is spent[148] .

[This is a common expression to signify the
expiration of life. See the specimens of Chi-

nese poetry in the next vol. from P. Du Halde,
2. 159.]

* The life of man is a fever: in which very
cold fits are followed by others equally hot[149] .

[The Reader will pardon me if I take occasion
to introduce here some reflections on the
same subject from Chinese moralists.

"I see nothing grand and real in this life,
but a vast sea and a large river: the sea of
sorrows and troubles; a sea infinitely wide;
whose shores are not seen:—The river of our
desires; whose depth is unfathomable. Man
is like a wretched bark, battered with the
waves, and leaking at every seam." P. Du
Halde, 2. p. 97.

"The life of man is a journey: we must
make it out however bad the road is: seldom
is it found to be even: but if at first it be
dangerous, narrow and difficult, there is room
to hope that towards the end it will become
broad, smooth and firm." Ibid. p. 98.

"It is with the life of man as with the flowers
of a garden: the most beautiful are commonly
the most delicate: and if they blow before
the other; they are sure to wither and die
before them too." Ibid.]

The man, who hath never been sick, doth
not know the value of health[150] .

[The Italians say, Chi ha la sanita è ricco e

non la sà. i. e. He, who hath health, is rich, and
doth not know it.]

* The man, who hath never looked upon a
Mandarine in the court with an evil eye,
is a precious gem[151] .

[i. e. Who hath never been questioned as
a criminal.—This proverb may serve to shew
the general profligacy of the Chinese, as also
the minute attention which their Mandarines
pay to their manners.]

* The man, who is pointed at with the finger,
never dies of a disease[152] .

* The man, who wants to dry [any thing,]
stays not for night, but makes the best use
he can of the noon-day sun[153] .

[Eng. Make hay while tbe sun shines.]

The man, who walks too fast, is prone either
to stumble or fall[154] .

[The French say, Qui trop se hâte en cheminant
se fourvoye souvent. And we, The more
haste, the worse speed.]

The manners of the people depend on those,
who are over them, as the clay in the
wheel depends on the potter, who forms it[155] .

* The medicine, that doth not cause the patient
to wink, never cures him[156] .

[We say, Desperate diseases must have desperate
cures.] Lat. Amaris pharmacis, amara bilis
proluitur.]

* The more a man advances in virtue, the
more sparing he is of his words[157] .

[The Chinese, as hath been observed, are
great enemies to loquacity: the same may be
remarked of the Spaniards, who express their
sense of this matter in the following proverbs.
Habla poco y bien, tenerte han por alguien, i. e.
Speak little, and to the purpose, you shall be
held in consideration. Hombre de pocas palabrai
y essas sabias, i. e. A man should speak
few words and wise. The Italians say, Chi
piu sa' meno parla, i. e. He who knows most,
talks least.—But the Chinese we see make even
a virtue of taciturnity.]

The more haste a man makes to unravel a
skain of thread, the more he entangles it[158] .

[To the same effect as the last proverb but
one of the preceding page.]

* The most ignorant have knowledge enough
to discern the faults of others: the most
clear-sighted are blind to their own[159] .

* The net in which heaven holds all mankind
is vastly spacious: it seems not to regard
them, nevertheless there is no way to
escape it[160] .

[Like the ancient English proverb, You dance
in a net, and thinks nobody sees you. See Ray.]

The peach and the plumb speak not: they
naturally leave traces of their worth[161] .

[Something similar to our proverb, Good
wine needs no bush: the meaning is, that things
which have an intrinsic value, need no studied
and fallacious ornaments to set them off.]

* The pitcher goes often up and down the
well, but is broken at last.

[See the foregoing Hist. vol. 2. p. 203.
The French express this by two proverbs. Tant
souvent va le pot a l'eau, que l'anse y demeure.
And, Tant va la cruche a l'eau, qu' à la fin elle
se brise.]

* The principal care of a husband is to make
his wife virtuous[162] .

* The provinces send Mandarines to Pe-king:
Pe-king in exchange sends them none but
lacquies and messengers[163] .

[This alludes to the constant dispatch of messengers

and expresses continually going to all
parts of the empire. It is also a rare thing
to hear of a Mandarine, who is a native of the
metropolis. P. Magal. p. 266.]

* The rat hath seen the cat[164] .

[* In the orig. Lao-shu-kien-mao. This is
applied to the Mandarines of the provinces
upon the arrival of a Visitor: to express the
great awe they stand in of him.]

* The sea hath no bounds, and the Kiang no
bottom[165] .

[The Kiang is the greatest river in China, and
is called by various names as, The son of the
sea: The great river, &c. It runs in a direction
from west to east over a tract of 400
French leagues. It is so deep as to give rise
to the above proverb. See P. Le Compte, tom.
1. p. 168.]

* The Shin cannot be made use of when we
weigh large stones: neither will a midling
capacity do for great undertakings[166] .

[The Shin is a weight answerable to a pound
in Europe.—Eng. Every man's nose will not
make a shoeing-horn.]

The smallest brooks become great rivers[167] .

[So the French say, Les petits ruisseaux font les
grands rivieres.]

The smallest worms have their holes[168] .

[Not very unlike in its application to the
ancient adage, Etiam capillus unus habet umbram
suam. Ital. Ogni pelo ha la sua ombra.]

* The spirit Ngao presides over the hall: yet
greater worship is due to the spirit Sao, who
presides over the kitchen[169] .

[These are a kind of Lares or houshold gods,
of which the spirit Ngao is deemed of superior
rank to the spirit Sao, who yet is more regarded,
as being more necessary to life.]

* The surest way to keep secret, what we
would not have known, is not to do it.
When one is afraid of being over-heard,
the best way is to be silent[170] .

[This is exactly the Italian maxim, Se vuoi
che stia secreto, nollo dire: E se non vuoi che si
sappia, nollo fare, i. e. If you would have a
thing kept secret, tell it to no one: and if you
would not have a thing known of you, never
do it. The French say, Il ne faut jamais rien
fare en particulier dont on doive rouger en public.]

The Tan lives on air and dew: can any creature

be more independent? Yet is it betrayed
by its cry, and becomes the prey of the
Tang-lang[171] .

[These are two insects.—This is intended to
signify, that men often draw sore evils upon
themselves by their garrulity: according to
that of Horace.—Si corvus tacuisset, haberet
plus dapis & rixæ multo minus invidiæque.]

The Teng-lo lives entwined round the tree that
supports it: if the tree fall, it expires[172] .

[Equivalent to the Eng. Fall oak, fall ivy.—
The Teng-lo is a flowering shrub, which the
Chinese teach to climb up their arbours: it bears
clusters of violet flowers, which are good to
eat. Lett. ed. xxvj. 142.]

* The thickest ice is longest thawing[173] .

[Of the same import with prov. 2d pag. 219.]

* The tree is without leaves, but the root is
yet alive[174] .

[Applicable to a person, who hath not been
called forth to exhibit much virtue, yet may
have the seeds of goodness in him.]

* The vilest herbs should be gathered with
care: and the wood which seems only fit for
burning should be piled up[175] .

[Not unlike the old English saw. If you
have not present use of a thing, lay it by for seven
years and then turn it: and lay it by for another
seven years, and if you want it not then, burn it.]

The virtue, which is confined to fasting and
long prayers, is the virtue of a Bonzee, who
is only useful to the animals, whom he
dares not kill[176] .

* The water, which is almost all run out, will
soon strike the bell[177] .

[This proverbial expression is used to denote
the approach of death, as we say, "His glass is
almost run." The Chinese use a kind of water-clocks.
See note to vol. 2. pag. 96. 289.]

* The water, which bears up the bark, is likewise
the water, which swallows it up[178] .

[This proverb owes its birth to the Emperor
Tai-tsong: who one day as he was taking the
air on the water along with his sons, said,
"You see, my childreu, that this bark is supported
by the water, which at the same time
can overwhelm it: consider that the people
resemble the water, and the Emperor the
bark." P. Du Halde, 1. 197. The Chinese
monarch (though he hath somewhat differently
applied it) hath hit, we see, upon the same metaphor,
as the celebrated Roman poet,

The water, which in its source is no more
than a little stream, augments insensibly in
its course, and becomes capable of overturning
the highest mountains[179] .

[Of the same tendency with the last prov. of
page 232. It is applied as the old Latin adage,
Principiis obsta.]

* The water, whose spring is muddy, can
never have a clear stream[180] .

[Lat. Mali corvi, malum ovum.]

* The way to stop the mouths of slanderers is
never to resent their usage[181] .

["Whether I am praised or blamed," says a
Chinese sage, "I make it of use to my advancement
in virtue. Those who commend
me, I conceive to point out the way I ought
to go; those who blame me, as telling me
the dangers I have to run." P. Du Halde,
2. 113.

"It was a good maxim of our ancestors,"
(says the Emperor Tag-tsong in a memorial) "I
look upon the man who contradicts me, as
my master, he instructs me and is useful to
me: I dread him, who applauds and flatters
me, as my enemy, for he thinks of his own
interest and not mine." P. Du Halde, I.
540.

The Italians have a saying, "Delle ingiurie

il remedio e lui seordarsi, i. e. To forget a wrong
is the best revenge.]

* The wicked fear the spirits[182] .

[Guilty minds are very apt to create spectres
and phantoms, and to be terrified at their own
shadows: according to that fine observation of
Solomon, The wicked flee when no man pursueth,
but the righteous are bold as a lion. Prov.
xxviij. 1.]

* The zeal of a good subject, and the piety
of a dutiful son, ought never to relax with
the number of years[183] .

[Hereafter follow some maxims of CONFUCIUS.]

There are three things, concerning which
every follower of virtue ought to be upon
his guard: in the time of youth, the use of
women: in time of maturity and manhood,
quarrels: in time of old age, the desire of
having[184] .

[Sc. Lust, ambition, and avarice.]

There are three fears admitted by the wise
and good: they fear the commands of heaven:
they fear their superiors: they fear
the words of the saints[185] .

[They fear. i. e. They revere, or stand in
awe of.]

There are three joys useful and three pernicious:
the joy that springs from the discharge
of duty: the joy of proclaiming the
good words and actions of others: and the
joy, which arises from the friendship of
good men: these are useful.

There are three joys pernicious: the joy of
empty pride: the joy of idleness and licentiousness:
and that which flows from the
jests and pleasures of the banquet[186] .

There are three friends useful, and three pernicious:
the virtuous: the frank and sincere:
and the friend that heareth many things:
[i. e. who is learned.] These are useful[187] .

There are three friends pernicious: the hypocritical
and deceitful: the soft and flattering:
and the friend that is given to
prate[188] .

There are three faults, which a young man is
liable to commit in the presence of his superiors:
if he speak without being spoke
to, he will pass for forward; if, when he is
spoke to, he return no answer, he will be
thought tricking and deceitful; and, if he

speak without considering well what he says,
he will be looked on as a fool[189]

There are three sorts of discourses to which
we ought not to lend an ear: those concerning
intrigues or unlawful engagements;
those which propose any unjust advantage;
and the discourse which proceeds from a
double heart[190] .

There are three sorts of persons which I
cannot endure: the ignorant, who would
fain appear judicious and knowing; the
haughty and presumptuous, who affect courage
and valour; and those satirical carping
persons, who would fain be thought just
and sincere[191] .

There are four others, which ought to be odious
to a wise man: those malignant spirits,
who love to publish the faults of others;
those vile persons, who speak ill of their
princes; those men in power, who have no
sentiments of humanity; and those bold
and rash men, who act without reflection[192] .

There are five mortal diseases of families: revelling;
great buildings; law-suits; vain
curiosities; and idleness[193] .

There are five sorts of women you should not

marry: she who is of a house, which hath
been negligent of the filial duties: or which
is of irregular and suspected morals: or
which is branded with some mark of infamy:
or which hath some hereditary and infectious
disease: or, when she is an elder
daughter having lost her father[194] .

[Most of the foregoing are extracted from
the writings of Confucius, the prince of the Chinese
philosophers. It will be unnecessary to
remark to the Reader the striking resemblance
this manner of moralizing bears to that of the
ancient Hebrew sages. Compare Proverbs chap.
30. passim &c, &c, with the passages at large
from which the foregoing sentences are extracted
and abridged. See also Confuc. lib. 3.
p. 132. &c.]

* Though nothing grows about Pe-king, it
never knows the want of any thing[195] .

[A local proverb: the country about Pe-king
is barren.]

* Though you purchase all China, still there
will be lands bordering upon yours[196] .

* Those in the provinces generally follow the
track of the court[197] .

* Those who purchase drugs and medicines,

ought to have two eyes: only one is required
in those that administer them: none
at all in those that take them[198] .

[Alluding to the frequent and artful adulterations
practised by the Chinese.—The Italians
have a proverb, Chi compra ha besogno di
cent' occhi, chi vende n' ha assai d'uno. i. e.
He who buys hath need of a hundred eyes:
one is enough for him that sells.]

* To act the part of a king is difficult: to
perform the part of a minister is not easy[199] .

* To attempt to catch birds with one hand,
and to cover the eyes with the other[200] .

[This is applied to any vain and absurd
attempt.—The French and We have a proverb
like this in form, tho' different in application,
Qui veut prendre unoiseau, qu' il ne l' affarouche.—To
fright a bird is not the way to catch her.
See Ray.]

To be like people, who set their feet upon
two barks: the barks separate, and they fall
into the water[201] .

[Equivalent to that common adage, which
which prevails in most of the languages in
Europe, (Sc. Eng. Fr. &c.) "Between two stools

the breech falls to the ground." Lat. Duos insequens
lepores neutrum capit. Ital. Chi due lepri
caccia, una perdre è l' altra lascia.]

To be one day as hot as char-coal, and ten
days as cold as ice, is not the way to improve
in study[202] .

[The Spaniards say, "Libro cerrado, no
saca letrado: i. e. The shut book makes no
scholar.]

* To begin well is common: to end well is
rare[203] .

* To begin well signifies little, unless you also
end well[204] .

[Lat. Exitus acta probat. Eng. The evening
crowns the day.]

* To call in tygers to drive out dogs[205] .

[Equivalent to the old Lat. adages, Ne cinerem
vitans in prunas incidas. And, Fumum fugiens
inignem incidi. Eng. Out of the frying pan into
the fire.—The Chinese chiefly apply this proverb
to the Tartars, who in the last century
being called in to quell a rebellion, made themselves
masters of the empire.]

* To-day repent of the faults of yesterday:
and towards the end of every moon, of those
committed since its beginning[206] .

To deserve the assistance of heaven, a prince
must honour and practise the five virtues[207] .

[The five cardinal virtues, so revered among
the Chinese, are, Jin, charity: Y, justice: Li,
courtesy (or observance of the rites): Chi, prudence:
and Sin, fidelity. P. Semedo, p. 149.]

To dig towards the east, in order to fill up a
hole towards the west, is giving one's self
useless trouble[208] .

[The Spaniards say (though I believe with
some difference in the application) Hazer un
hoyo para tapar otro. i. e. To make one hole
to fill up another: equivalent to ours, To rob
Peter to pay Paul.]

* To embroil a man in his dealings, is as if
you put his father to death[209] .

[The Chinese illustrate this proverb by the
following tale.—"A poor man, in order to
have wherewithal to celebrate the feast of
the new year, offered an earthen pot to sell,
which was his whole stock. He met two
persons, one of whom offered him a reasonable
price; but the other hindered the
bargain. The man was so struck with the
disappointment, that his foot slipped, and he
broke the vessel: which drove him to despair.
He had scarce recovered his senses,

when he run after him, who was the occasion
of breaking the bargain, and made a great
noise at the door of his house. When he was
coming away, he perceived some cloaths
hanging out to dry: he stole them to purchase
wherewithal to make himself and his wife
merry. From that day he took to theft, and
became a noted robber: which brought him
at length into the hands of justice. Upon
his examination he accused the other for his
confederate and seducer: who upon his evidence
was condemned to die. Coming both
of them to the place of execution, the robber
cast a hideous look at his companion: Do
you know me, said he? I am the man whom
you hindered at such a time from selling his
earthen pot: that was the cause of my ruin,
and it is but just you should suffer with me."
P. Du Halde, 2. 59.]

*To find a treasure in a secret place, when we
know the owner: to meet with a fine woman
alone in a remote apartment: to hear
the voice of an enemy fallen into a pit
where he must perish without our assistance:
admirable touchstones of the heart[210] .

[See before, vol. 2. pag. 146. note.]

To forget your forefathers, is to be as water
without a source: as a tree without roots[211] .

[This proverb is designed to correct the vanity
of those, who having attained by some
lucky chance to an higher eminence than they
were born to, are ashamed of their parentage.]

* To furnish arms to a robber[212] .

[Equivalent to our saying, To put a sword in
a madman's hand.]

* To hear the sages, a cottage serves Ven-heu
for a palace[213] .

[Ven-heu was king of a part of China, and
so addicted to philosophy, that once after hunting,
when there was a great prospect of an approaching
tempest, and his chariot was brought
to carry him home, he rather chose to stay and
hear the lectures of some philosophers, who
were assembled in a cottage. Hence the above
became a proverb to express an uncommon thirst
of knowledge. Vide loc. citat.]

* To justify yourself to an angry man is
throwing oil upon the fire[214] .

[Like that of the son of Sirach, "Strive not
with a man that is of an evil tongue, and heap
not wood upon his fire." Ecclus. viij. 3.]

To live always frugally; quietly, and in great
abstraction of mind and heart: this is the

grand medicine, and the precious stone,
whose virtues are so rare[215] .

[The Chinese are greatly addicted to alchymy
and often ruin themselves in search of the philosophers
stone and universal medicine: this
was the answer of one of their sages, when after
many years spent in studious retirement in a
certain mountain, he was asked to unfold the
grand secret, he was supposed to have been in
pursuit of.—See above, vol. 2. pag. 7. note.]

To meditate too much on a design when
formed, occasions irresolution: to trifle too
much on a subject, prevents our keeping to
what is essential[216] .

* To neglect little things, sometimes causes
the loss of great things[217] .

[So the Italian, Chi non tien conto del poco, non
acquista l' assai. i. e. He, that does not mind
small things, will never gain a great deal.]

To read an excellent book the first time is to
gain a new friend: to read over one we
have perused before, is like meeting with
an old friend[218] .

[The Spaniards say, No ay mas cierto y deleytoso
amigo, que el buen libro. i. e. There is not a

more faithful or agreeable friend than a good
book. And the Italians have a proverb, Non
v' è peggior ladro d' un cattivo libro. i. e. There
is not a worse thief than a bad book.]

* To ride an ass, to seek an ass[219] .

[In the orig. Ki-linmi-lin. This is exactly
correspondent with the French, Il cherche son âne
et il est dessus.]

To run with faggots to quench a fire[220] .

[To the same effect with the French, Jetter
del' huile sur le feu.]

To stop the bubling of boiling water, by
pouring other boiling water upon it[221] .

To think not to be wet, and yet leap into the
water[222] .

To them, who have not studied, their pencil
seems as heavy as a milstone[223] .

[See note, vol. 2. pag. 227.]

To say you only know, what you know thoroughly,
and to confess you are ignorant of
what you do not know; is to be truly
learned[224] .

[A maxim of Confucius.]

* Too many shepherds to one flock serve only
to disturb it: but if one shepherd keeps
it, it marches along without straying[225] .

[The Chinese have no idea of any form of
government but the monarchical, and cannot be
brought to comprehend what is meant by a
republic. This was experienced by the Dutch
embassadors in 1658, who when they came to
explain the nature of their government, could
excite no other idea, but that they were a nest
of pirates, living in a state of anarchy: to remove
this suspicion they were at last obliged to
represent the Prince of Orange as their sovereign.—See
Nieuhoff passim. Mod. Un. Hist.
viij. 139.

N. B. Ποιμενα λαων is not a more common
metaphor with the father of greek poetry, than
"pastor or shepherd of the people" is with
the Chinese to express their rulers and governnors.—"I
am pastor and governor of this city,"
faith a Chinese Mandarine; "this quality of
pastor obliges me to procure whatever conduces
to this city's advantage, &c." Lett.
"ed. xv. 169.—The first duty of a magistrate,
(faith one of their Emperors in an edict,) is
to guide the people, like a good shepherd,
and prevent their going astray." P. Du
Halde, 1. 456.]

* Twice eight is not more than eighteen[226] .

[This is said, when after a pompous detail of
particulars, the sum total falls short of expectation.
Lat. Non respondet opinioni calculus.]

* Victory inspires even cowards with courage,
and a vanquished army can hardly subsist
itself[227] ?

* Virtue can crown the meanest with
glory[228] .

* Virtue, when pure and solid, touches Shin:
what effect then must it have on the people[229]
.

[Shin signifies the Spirits or Genij.]

U and Ywê, when in a bark together and exposed
to shipwreck, will help one another
to ride out the tempest[230] .

[U and Ywê means two bitter and implacable
enemies.—Eng. "Common danger makes
friends.]

* Undertake nothing without bringing it to
a conclusion[231] .

* Unless foresight extend to a thousand Lee,
calamity will soon be under the table[232] .

[He who hath not prudence to foresee his

misfortunes before they come, will not be able
to prevent them. Equivalent to the English.
"Fore-warned fore-armed."]

Water once spilt cannot be gathered up again
into the vessel[233] .

[Equivalent to that of ours, "There is no crying
for shed milk."—The above is applied by
the Chinese author, who quotes it, to the loss of
reputation, but seems applicable to any irretrievable
misfortune. In the scripture occurs
such an image applied to human life. "We must
needs die: and are as water spilt on the ground,
which cannot be gathered up again." 2 Sam.
xjv. 14.]

Water too clear is without fish: a man too
prying lives without society[234] .

* We are as people, who have continually before
their eyes, the dead bodies of their
parents[235] .

[It is thus the Chinese express the highest
possible grief.]

* We cast a golden net with both hands, and
catch a hundred misfortunes[236] .

[The meaning is, "He that increaseth riches,
increaseth sorrow."]

* What every one is within: such he appears
without[237] .

[To the same purpose as the Lat. Heu quam
difficile est crimen non prodere vultu!]

* What is talked of in the women's apartment,
ought not to be mentioned out of it[238] .

What you hate in those that go before you,
do not to them who come after you: and
what you condemn in those at your right
hand, do not to those at your left[239] .

[It is thus the Chinese express that maxim,
Do as you would be done by.—They also say,
"What you hate in your superiors, do not to
your inferiors: and what you dislike in your
inferiors, do not to your superiors Vid. loc.
citat.]

* Whang-tien protects virtue wherever it is,
without acceptance of persons[240] .

[Whang-tien signifies the Emperor of heaven,
and is one of the names by which the Chinese
express the divine providence.—The ancient
Chinese seem to have had pretty just notions of
the divine attributes, witness the following passage
in one of their classical books. "All the
oxen killed by Chew, were not worth the
meanest offerings of Ven-vang; because the
former offered his sacrifice with a heart polluted

with crimes, whereas the best part of
the offering of the latter consisted in the purity
of his heart." P. Du Halde, 1. p. 644.]

* Whay-nghen had a wise mother: Whay-quang
a wise son[241] !

[This is intended to signify, that neither virtue
nor vice, wisdom nor folly, are hereditary.
To the same effect is the Lat. Etiam a vite
rubus nascitur.

Whay-nghen was an enterprizing slave, who
put himself at the head of a party formed
against the Emperor. His mother one day reproached
him for his crime; "Wretch, said
she, notwithstanding all my remonstrances,
do you then rebel against your prince from
whom you have received only favours?"
This said, she plunged a knife in his bosom,
crying out, "To my prince and my country
I sacrifice this villain."

Whay-quang (in another reign) raising a rebellion,
his son immediately quitted him and
joined the Emperor. "Sir, said he, my father
has formed a faction against you, I want by
my loyalty to wipe out as much, as I can, the
infamy of his rebellion." He accordingly
marched with a body of troops against the rebels,
whom he intirely defeated.

These two examples have given rise to the
above proverb. Vid. loc. citat.]

When a family rises early in the morning,
conclude the house to be well governed[242] .

[Most languages afford some sage maxim in
favour of early rising. The Spaniards say, De
quien se duerme, su hazienda lo siente. i. e. He
that lies long in bed, his estate feels it. The
Italians, Gbi nou si leva a buon hora, non so buona
giornata. i. e. He who does not get up early,
never does a good day's work. We say, He
that will thrive, must rise at five.]

* When a man is of age he must contract a
mariage: and a woman must accept of a
marriage.

[See the foregoing Hist. vol. 2. p. 114.]

When a man says, "I must wait, 'till I have
a little more leisure, then I will apply myself
to the study of wisdom." Think not
this man will ever set about it[243] .

When a man says, "Let me wait a little,
when I have something to spare, I will relieve
the poor." This man will never relieve
them[244] .

[It will not be foreign to the subject of this
Apothegm, to give the following curious Chinese
epitaph. "What KOU-J A possessed, was the
possession of the whole human race: this man had

the heart and bowels of charity itself: and his
house was the inexhaustible shop of liberality."
Nieuhoff. p. 116.]

When a son is born into a family, a bow and
arrow are hung before the gatec.

[As no such custom appears to be literally observed,
this should seem to be a metaphorical
expression, signifying that a new protector is
added to the family: equivalent to that of the
psalms, Like as the arrows in the hand of a giant,
even so are the young children: happy is the man
that hath his quiver full of them, &c.—After
all, the Editor doth not obtrude this interpretation
on the Reader, who may consult the place
referred to.]

* When a person hath need of present help, he
thinks on his relations: when he is in danger
he depends on his old friends[245] .

[Not unlike that distich of Cato,
Auxilium a notis petito, si forte laboras:
Nec quisquam melior medicus, quam fidus amicus.
Lib. 4.]

* When brethren live together they ought to
support themselves[246]

x P. Du Halde, 1. 488.

When one is got to the brink of a precipice, it
is too late to pull up the reins: when one

is got into the middle of the river Kiang, it
is too late to think of repairing the bark[247] .

[This is designed to convey the moral of
our two proverbs, "It is too late to spare, when
the bottom is bare." And, "Look before you
leap."]

When the arrow is discharged, it is in vain to
to recall it[248] .

[Lat. Jacta est alea.]

* When the cause is bad it must not be spoke
to.

[See before, vol. 2. pag. 127.]

When the flame appears in all its force, it
may still increase: but the fire once extinguished
will revive no more[249] .

[That is, the soul, when it seems to be in its
highest vigour, is capable of still farther improvements:
but when quite neglected and become
heavy and stupid, it never can recover
itself.]

* When the first cart overturns, he who
drives the second is upon his guard[250] .

[The Chinese have another proverb to the
same purpose, "A coachman fears being overturn-

ed, where he hath seen another overturn." P. Du
Halde, 1. 525.—Equivalent to the Lat. Felix
quem faciunt aliena pericula cautum.]

When the great fish Kin appears above water,
the billows become smooth: when the
birds Whang and Ho dive under water, no
good weather is to be expected[251] .

[The latter are two water fowls, which by
flying about in the air prognosticate good weather,
and vice versâ.]

* When the lips are chopped, the teeth infallibly
suffer cold[252] .

When the sky is clear the wise man trembles:
when it thunders he is undaunted[253] .

[A fine Apothegm. The Spaniards say, Date
buena vida, temeras mas la cayda. i. e. Live
happily, and you'll be the more afraid to fall.—
But those celebrated lines of Horace seem most
apposite,

Lib. 2. ode 10.]

* When we would give any thing a pleasant
shining colour, we don't rub it with ink,
but the most beautiful vermilion[254] .

[This proverb is applied to express the effects
of a good education, which is necessary to form
a shining character.]

* When you cut the throat of a hen, why
do you use a knife proper for sticking an
ox[255] ?

[Not very different from that line of Pope,
"Who plants artillery against a fly?"]

Were you to pass the sea on a bladder, how
carefully would you preserve it from the
prick of a needle[256] ?

[That is, when your all is at stake you cannot
be too careful. To the same effect is the
Scotch proverb.—They that hae but ae egg to
their dinner, hae need of a canny (i. e. cautious)
Cook.]

* Whether the traveller quicken his pace, or
march at his ordinary rate, he hath but so
far to go[257] .

[Applied to human life: equivalent to the
Lat. Serius aut citius sedem properamus ad unam.]

* Wicked men are feared; heaven not at all:
honest people are deceived; heaven never
is[258] .

* With a large heart, the whole body is enlarged[259]
.

* Without salted Mey-tse, how can we give
to a sauce the five relishes[260] .

[Meaning that it were absurd to expect the
end without the means. As the Eng. You
can't have brick without straw.—The Mey-tse
are tart fruits like wild apricots: the Chinese
candy them; they pickle and also salt them,
on purpose to use them in sauces.—By the five
relishes, is perhaps only meant the intire and
complete taste. Vid. Bayer, tom. 1. p. 111.
The Chinese seem to consider the number five
as the most complete and perfect number:
they reduce to this number not only The cardinal
virtues. The relative duties, The commandments
of FO, &c. but even The elements,
The noble parts of the human body.

P. Du Halde, 2. 56. &c.]

* Who regards the little demons of the wood.

[See the Chin. Hist. vol. 4. pag. 86.]

* Whoever hath sore eyes will see clearly in
ten days, if he let them alone to cure themselves[261]
.

[This is so true an observation, that something
like it occurs in most languages. The
Spaniards say, Quien quiere ojo sano atese la

mano: i. e. He that would have his eyes well,
should have his hand tied up. The French,
Quand on a mal aux yeux, il n'y faut toucher que
du coude: i. e. When one hath sore eyes, one
should only touch them with one's elbow.]

You cannot commend a woman's virtue more
than to say, she is not learned[262] .

[If prejudices of this kind have obtained in
Europe, we are not to wonder that they should
prevail in China. The Spaniards say, Mula que
haze hin, y muger que parla Latin, nunca hizieron
buen fin. i. e. A mule that is resty, and a woman
that talks Latin, never come to a good
end.]

* You shall learn whether it be the bucket at
the end of the rope that falls into the well:
or whether it be the water of the well that
falls into the bucket[263] .

[A proverbial menace.]

* Your works alone shall follow you: you
shall carry off nothing else[264] .

[A fine saying in the books of FO.—The
Spaniards say, Buen hazer florece, todo lo al perece:
A good work flourishes, every thing else peishes.]