Enlarged Collection of Mottoes

--A Primary Textbook for Children-----

（四）

Revised by Zhou Xitao

Translated by Zhang Hongyan and Chen Shuiming

重订《增广贤文》 （四）

原作者 佚名；周希陶（明）改编； 陈水明 张鸿雁英译

人平不语，水平不流。
便宜莫买，浪荡莫收；
不以我为德，反以我为仇。

The calm people keep silent; still water doesn’t flow.
Don’t buy cheap things, nor accept wastrels who bite the hand that feeds them.

有花方酌酒，无月不登楼。
人有三句硬话，树有三尺绵头。
一家养女百家求，一马不行百马忧。

Drink, while flowers are in blossom; don’t please the heart on a high building without moonlight.
Man has three strong words and the tree has one meter of soft branch.
One family keeps a girl and one hundred families make offer of marriage; one horse stops running and one hundred horses worry about it.

深山毕竟藏猛虎，大海终须纳细流。
到此如穷千里目，谁知才上一层楼。
欲知世事须尝胆，会尽人情暗点头。

After all, the lofty mountains hide fierce tigers and the deep sea accepts all rivers and brooks.
One may think one has ascended the top where one can see the longest distance, but in fact it is only the first story of the building. (It means knowledge is infinite.)
He who wants to know the world affairs must taste gall and he who sees through human relationships doesn’t speak them out.

受恩深处宜先退，得意浓时便可休。
莫待是非来汝耳，从前恩爱反成仇。

Retreat, before you’ve gained enough profit;
Stop, when you’ve achieved your ambition;
Don’t wait the day when scandal talk arises, then the former friendship becomes into hostility.

贫家光扫地，贫女净梳头；景色虽不丽，气度自优游。
器具质而洁，瓦缶胜金玉；
饮食约而精，园蔬愈珍馐。

If a poor family often sweeps its floor clean, a poor girl often tidies her hair, then even the family doesn’t specially decorate its rooms, the girl isn’t well-dressed still   they are considered to have kept elegant airs.
Plain but clean, even the table wares are made of clay, they are better than those made of precious materials;
Simple but elaborated, even the meal cooked with pickled vegetables is better than that done with rare delicacies.

无益世言休著口，不干己事少当头。
留得五湖明月在，不愁无处下金钩。

Speak little of the words that are unprofitable to the world;
Nor act for the affairs to do nothing with you.
So long as the moon shines on the lakes, there are fishes for you to angle (It means so long as the green mountains are there, one need not worry about firewood).

休向君子谄媚，君子原无私惠；
休与小人为仇，小人自有对头。

Don’t be servile to the virtuous man, as he doesn’t privately benefit anyone;
Nor start a feud with the evil fellow, as naturally he has his own opponent.

名利是缰索，牵缠时，逆则生憎，顺则生爱；
富贵如浮云，觑破了，得亦不喜，失亦不忧。

Fame and gain are similar to the rein and lock, once you get involved in them and go along with them, you’ll consider them lovely; if you can’t obtain them, you’ll feel them annoying.
Wealth and rank are similar to flowing clouds, once you see them through, you’ll not be happy when you gain them, nor be sorrowful when you lose them.

若登高，必自卑；若涉远，必自迩。

When ascending a hill, you must start from the foot; when travelling far, you must start from the place where you are.

磨刀恨不利，刀利伤人指；
求财恨不多，财多终累己。
有福伤财，无福伤己。
病加于小愈，孝衰于妻子。
居视其所亲，答视其所举，富视其所不为，贫视其所不取。

When grinding a knife, you often try your best to make it sharp, but too sharp a knife is liable to cut the finger; when making money, you always try your best to gain much, but too much money will bring trouble to you.
Good fortune often causes one’s money spent; misfortune often causes oneself suffered.
One’s sickness often gets serious after one has recovered a little; one’s filial duty often declines from the day when one gets married.
Judge a man by the people he trusts; judge an influential figure by the people he recommends; judge a rich man by what he doesn’t do [as the rich often do evil deeds]; judge a poor man by what he doesn’t seek [as the poor easily seek unrighteous money].

知足常足，终身不辱；
知止常止，终身不耻。
君子爱财，取之有道；
小人放利，不顾天理。
悖入亦悖出，害人终害己。

He who is content with what he has had is always content with his lot and will never be humiliated all his life.
He who knows where he should stop stops then he’ll never get insulted all his life.
The virtuous man is interested in gain but he gains by normal way;
The evil man is also interested in gain but he gains by all ill means.
Ill-got, ill-spent;
He who harms others will eventually harm himself.

人非善不交，物非义不取。

Don’t make friends with those who are not virtuous, nor gain profits by mean ways.

身欲出樊笼外，心要在腔子里。

If you want to get rid of the position of confinement, put your mind in the right place.

勿偏信而为奸所欺，勿自任而为气所使。
差之毫厘，谬以千里。

Don’t listen to only one side and be cheated, nor be self-willed and be driven by your own temperament.
To miss the mark by a single hair is to miss it by one thousand kilometers [It means a miss is as good as a mile.]

使口不如自走，求人不如求己。

Better do the work in person than tell others to do. Better depend on yourself than on others.

为富兼为仁，愿生莫愿死。
人见白头嗔，我见白头喜；多少少年亡，不到白头死。

Be a man of rich and kindhearted and long for living long but not dying young.
Others hate gray-hairs but I like to see them; many people die young, they have not the good luck to enjoy their own gray-hairs.

贼是小人，智过君子。
君子固穷，小人穷斯滥矣。

A thief may be cleverer than a virtuous man.
When getting poor, the virtuous men know their own places but the evil men will do evil things.

壁有缝，墙有耳。
好事不出门，恶事传千里。

The wall has cracks and ears; be aware of eavesdroppers.
Good deeds are often unknown but ill deeds spread soon far and wide.

之子不称服，奉身好画侈。虽得市童怜，还为识者鄙。

That fellow wears undue garment (referring to undue government position), boasts of gorgeous dress; though he can win some admiration, yet is despised by those who know his true colors.

天下无不是底父母，世间最难得者兄弟。
青出于蓝而胜于蓝；冰生于水而寒于水。

There are no parents who do not love their children；in the world the closest people are blood brothers.
Indigo blue is extracted from the indigo plant but is bluer than the indigo plant; ice is changed from water but is colder than water----a metaphor referring to that the pupil surpasses his teacher.

不痴不聋；不作阿姑阿翁；
得亲顺亲，方可为人之子。

Without being dull and deaf you had better not be a mother-in-law or a father-in-law of your daughter-in-law; with being filial to one’s parents one may be counted as a good son.

处骨肉之变，宜从容不宜激烈；
当家庭之衰，宜惕厉不宜委靡。

When happens a dispute within your family, you had better keep calm but not make it intensify; while your family is on the decline, you should exercise caution and discipline but not be dispirited.

是日一过，命亦随减。
务下学而上达，毋舍近而趋远。
量入为出，凑少成多。
溪豁易填，人心难满。

Your life decreases with every passing day, which leaves you and never comes back.
You should proceed in an orderly way and step by step; but not seek far and wide for what lies close at hand.
Suit your expenditure to your income (It means make both ends meet.)；
Many a little makes a mickle.
It is easy to fill up a gully but not to satisfy man’s desire.

用人与教人，二者却相反；
用人取其长，教人责其短。

The ways for employing and teaching are different; for the former you make use of the employee’s strong points，for the latter, you should find out where the weak points of your pupil’s lie.

打人莫伤脸，骂人莫揭短。

Don’t box man’s face when you beat him, nor rake a man’s secret faults when scold him.

仕宦芳规清慎勤；饮食要诀缓暖软。

The good principles for government officials are “honest, careful and diligent”; the key to one’s dietetics lies in “eating slowly, the food being warm and soft”.

水暖水寒鱼自知；花开花谢春不管。

Fishes know whether the water is warm or not; spring doesn't care whether flowers come out or fall off.

蜗牛角上校雌雄，石火光中争长短。

To have a contest on a snail’s tentacles and to have a bitter wangling in the light sparks (It is an idiom referring to it is only and empty dream for people to strive for fame and wealth in the world).

留心学到古人难，立脚怕随流俗转。
凡是自是，便少一是；
有短护短，更添一短。

It is difficult to learn from ancient virtuous people; the terrible thing for a man to take a firm stand is to drift with the tide.
He who is opinionated often miscalculates; he who shields his own shortcoming may be considered as having another shortcoming.

洒扫庭除，要内外整洁；关锁门户，必亲自检点。

Sweep the courtyard and house and make every place thoroughly clean and tidy; close and lock the gate and doors in time and examine them yourself. 

天下无难处之事，只要两个如之何；
天下无难处之人，只要三个必自反。 

There is nothing difficult to handle in the world if you carefully turn it over in your mind; there is no person difficult to get along with if you can examine with what attitude towards him you adopt.

凡事要好，须问三老。
好问则裕，自用则小。
勿营华屋，勿作淫巧。
若争小可，便失大道。

If you want to do things well, you’d better heed the word of the old aged.
If you have the habit of listening to the broad masses, you’ll have wide ways to choose; if you are self-willed, you’ll have rare ways to do.
Don’t build luxurious buildings, nor make strange articles.
To gain petty advantages will lead to loss of morality.

但能依本分，终须无烦恼。
有言逆于汝心，必求诸道；
有言逊于汝志，必求诸非道。

So long as you do your duty, you’ll be always happy.
If someone tells you something that doesn’t please you, consider it from the right side; otherwise, if it pleases you, consider it from the wrong side.

吃得亏，坐一堆；
要得好，大做小。
志宜高而心宜下；胆欲大而心欲小。

He who can suffer a little loss is always at ease; he who wants to do things well had better budget liberally and spend sparingly.
It is the proper way to aim high but act carefully, be bold but cautious.

学者如禾如稻，不学者如蒿如草。
唇亡齿必寒，教弛富难保。
书中结良友，千载奇逢；
门内产贤郎，一家活宝。

He who learns is as useful as seedlings and rice; he who doesn’t learn is as useless as wormwood and weeds.
If the lips are gone, the teeth will be cold; if one is little educated, one can hardly keep rich.
There is the gold opportunity for you to make friends in books. It is a happy thing for a family to get clever sons.
The nominal honor and wealth earned through labor is a kind of gain as well as loss; one hundred fine years you spend busily, though it may be called you have a long life, still may be called a short one.

事事有功，须防一事不终；
人人道好，须防一人著恼。

Be careful not to lose one thing by losing a bit of more effort though usually you have done everything well; still be careful not to make a single man complain though usually you have been praised by everyone.

宁添一斗，莫添一口。
但求放心，休夸利口。

Rather to produce one more kilogram of grain than to eat one more mouth of food.
Seek only to set your mind rest, don’t boast of the food is delicious.

要学好人，须寻好友；
引酵若酸，哪得好酒？
宁遭父母手，莫遭父母口。
狗不嫌家贫，儿不嫌娘丑。

He who wants to be a virtuous man must make friends with virtuous people.
How can you get fine liquor if you add sour yeast to it!
Rather be beaten by your parents (which means they are healthy) than be scolded by them (which means they are old and weak).
The son doesn’t think his mother is ugly. The dog doesn’t think its master is poor.

勿贪意外之财，勿饮过量之酒。
进步便思退步，著手先图放手。

Don’t covet unexpected money, nor drink too much wine.
Plan a retreat when march forward; consider how to get rid of it when start to get involve in it。[It means you must have some leeway.]

不嫌刻鹄类骛，只怕画虎成狗。
责善勿过高，当思其可从；
攻恶勿太严，要使其可受。

It is not a serious matter to engrave a wild-swan but end up with a duck; however, it is a disagreeable one to draw a tiger but end up with a dog.
Don’t ask a man to do good excessively, you must consider his ability; nor criticize a man too strictly, you must consider the extent he can take.

享现在之福如点灯，随点则随灭；
培将来之福如添油，愈添则愈久。

To enjoy the present happiness is something like lighting a lamp, which cannot last long. To cultivate the future happiness is something like adding oil to the lamp, the more you add, the longer the light lasts.

恩里由来生害，得意时须早回头；
败后或反成功，拂心处莫便放手。

Harm often comes from good, keep the favor you’ve got within proper limits; failure is the mother of success, don’t stop while there are obstacles you encounter。

多交费财，少交省用。
千里送鹅毛，礼轻仁义重。
骨肉相残，煮豆燃萁；
兄弟相爱，灼艾分痛。

It spends much to associate too many people, while it achieves saving to associate fewer ones.
The gift itself may be as light as a goose feather; but it is sent from afar, it conveys deep feeling.
Burning beans talks to cook beans refers to murder among blood brothers; sharing the pain of scorching skin by burning moxa refers to love among brothers.

以身教者从，以言教者讼。
厚积不如薄取,滥求不如减用。

You will be followed if you teach others by your own example. [Example is better than preach.] It will cause dispute that you teach others by your words.
It is better to take less than accumulate much, and it is better to use sparingly than recklessly solicit for help.

一字入公门，九牛拖不出。
理字不多大，千人抬不动。
两人自是，不反目稽唇不止，只温语称他人一句好，便有无限欢欣；
两人相非，不破家亡身不止，只回头认自己一句错，便有无边受用。

One word spoken to the court even nine oxen cannot recall it.
The word ‘truth’ is not heavy, but thousand men can’t shake it.
The self-willed people easily dispute and fight each other; if one of them retreats a little, then there will be boundless peace and exultation.
When two people accuse each other and do not stop till their families are ruined or dead, if one of them retreats a little, then there will be boundless profit for them to enjoy. 

和气致祥；乖气致戾。
玩人丧德；玩物丧志。
福至心灵，祸至心晦。
受宠若惊，闻过则喜 。

Harmony invites good fortune; while perversity leads to disadvantage..
Dallying with a woman’s affection leads to loss of virtue; excessive attention to pet things leads to loss of ambition.
The mind works more efficiently when good fortune comes; the mind works insufficiently when bad fortune comes;
Be cautious when an unexpected favor comes; be glad when your errors are pointed out.

创业固难，守成不易。
门内有君子，门外君子至；
门外有小人，门外小人至。

It is hard to start an undertaking, but it is also hard to keep it.
If there are virtuous people indoors, naturally virtuous people come from outside; if there are vicious people indoors, naturally vicious ones come from outside, too.

东海曾问闻无定波，北邙未肯留闲地。
趋炎虽暖，暖后更觉寒增；
食蔗能甘，甘馀便生苦趣。

It is heard that there are always moving waves in the sea, but there are no spare lands in Mt.Beimang Hill (The hill is a well known grave yard where nobles were buried in history).
Following the heat (a metaphor referring to currying favor with the powerful people) one may feel warm, but after the warmth, one may feel still chillier; taking sugarcane, one may feel sweet, but after the sweetness, there will appear bitter flavor.

争名利，要审自己分量，休眼热别个，辄生嫉妒之心；
撑门户，要算自己来路，莫步趋他人，妄起挪扯之计。

To scramble for fame and profit, you must first examine yourself，don’t covet others and harbor a jealous heart;
To manage household duties, you must carefully calculate the income and expense of your household economy don’t blindly follow others and have the desire to contract a loan.

家庭和睦，蔬食尽有余欢；
骨肉乖违，珍馐亦减至味。

A harmonious family is always happy even lives on plain tea and simple food;; while a discordant one is always unhappy even lives on delicacies from the mountains and the sea.

观过知人，投鼠忌器。
爱而知其恶，憎而知其善。
贫而无怨难，富而无骄易。

By observing the mistakes a man commits you may judge whether he is virtuous or not, to kill the rat you must consider not to damage the vase in which it is hiding.
Love a man you should know his wickedness; while hate him, you must know his virtue.
It is hard for the poor not to complain; while it is easy for the rich not to be haughty.

晴空看鸟飞，流水看鱼跃，识宇宙活泼之机；
霜天闻鹤唳，雪夜闻鸡鸣，得乾坤清纯之气。

By watching birds flying on fine days and fishes swimming in flowing water, you may get the vitality of the world;
By listening to the crane singing on frosty days and chickens cocks crowing at snowy nights, you may be aware of the pure vital energies in the universe.

先学耐烦，切莫使气，性躁心粗，一生不济。

Learn to be patient first and never be willful; short-tempered and careless, you’ll be unable to succeed all your life.

举世好奉承，奉承非佳意；不知奉承者，以尔为玩戏。

In the world people are keen on flatteries, but he who flatters doesn’t harbor good intentions; you can never be aware that the flatterers never think you are right.

得时莫夸能，不遇休妒世。
物胜则必衰，有隆还有替。

Don’t show off while you are pleased with success, nor blame god and man while you are frustrated.
Things will decline when they grow extreme; there are prosperous times and there are also declining times.

路径仄处，留一步与人行；
滋味浓的，减三分让人嗜。

In the narrow place, make a little room for others; while there is something delicious, leave a part for others to share.

为人要学大，莫学小，志气一卑污了，品格难乎其高；
持家要学小，莫学大，门面一弄阔了，后来难乎其继。

Learn to be ambitious but not narrow minded, once you get your aspirations polluted, you can hardly be a man of fine character;
In managing household duties, learn to carry out thrift but not spend freely, once you get the habit of spending lavishly, you can hardly keep your family long prosperous.

争斗场中，出几句清冷言语，便扫除无限杀机；
寒微路上，用一片赤热心肠，遂培植许多生意。

In fierce fighting circumstances, several calm words will cause you to get rid of boundless dangers;
Help the persons while they are in difficulty, you’ll be able to get many intimate friends.

一日为师，终身为父。
衣不如新，人不如故
忍一言，息一怒；饶一着，退一步。

Always respect your teacher as if he were the father even if the teacher-student relationship has existed for a single day.
For the clothes, the new are best; while for the friend, the old are closest.
Be tolerant of a single ill word, then a bit of anger is stopped; one more unnecessary step will cause you to fall back a step.

三十不立，四十见恶，五十相将寻死路。
爱儿不得爱儿怜，聪明反被聪明误。
心去终须去，再三留不住。

If a man has no achievements at thirty, he'll have no virtuous deeds to set at forty, then from fifty he’ll be on the decline.
He who dotes on his son has no dutiful son; he who is too cunning is often harmed by his own cunning plans.
He whose mind has left cannot be kept to stay.

非意相干，可以理遣；
横逆加来，可以情恕。
贫穷患难，亲戚相顾；
婚姻死丧，邻保相助。
亲者毋失其为亲，故者毋失其为故。

Reasonably ask the unexpected interfering people to leave and be intellectually lenient towards the wrong doers.
In poverty and trouble, relations help each other; for marriage and funeral affairs, local officials give aid.
After all, old relations and friends are intimate and close don’t lightly give them up.

（待续）