These Eight Chinese Proverbs Will Change Your Life
If you are ready to embrace them with seriousness.
We all feel lost sometimes.
Sometimes, nothing works — and we see no way forward. Our confidence dies. Our future seems bleak. And we found ourselves whirling in the deep darkness — helpless, hopeless, and broken.
We start questioning our own existence and think of putting an end to this daily struggle of life that gets heavier every single day. Many of us do put an end, of course.
But the brave ones fight till the last breath. They are the stubborn ones who search for the direction they were missing in all those years. They become desperate to get nearer to the light that can help them find a way.
And in that quest of finding the light, many of those brave souls stumble upon the powerful knowledge condensed in the form of quotes and proverbs. Yes — it may sound cliche — but great quotes or proverbs can inspire, guide, and change one’s life if taken seriously. They can give hopeless people hope and encourage them to fight their battles.
In this article, I will share some of my favorite Chinese proverbs that — I’m sure — will get your derailed life back on track.
Let’s get started!
“A man who chases two rabbits catches neither.”
Isn’t that obvious? If you have no focus, you will achieve nothing significant for sure. For example, if you want to be both a doctor and an engineer, the possibility is — you will end up being neither.
Just look around you. You will find successful people working with their particular goals or mission extremely focused. They don’t go for everything they see around.
Of course, you can choose who you want to be or what you want to achieve in life. But then — you mustn’t distract yourself while you are on the way. If you do that, you will lose track and get lost.
Sometimes the newfound opportunity may indeed seem enticing. But you have to think deeply; what’s your goal, who you want to be in the next five or ten years, what you want to achieve, and questions like that. You must be very focused on your purpose, goals, or mission in life.
Only then can you avoid a million distractions and keep your eyes on the things that truly matter for you.
“However strong you are, there is always someone stronger.”
Admit it. You can never be the best in whatever you do because there will always be someone better than you. And that’s great news. Because you have got a milestone to reach. You have to go a long way before you sleep.
When you keep remembering that you are not the best, you try hard to do your best. And thus, you keep improving yourself every single day.
Moreover, it will make you humble and keep your feet grounded. You will not reside inside the false bubble of pride and aggression. You will not be satisfied and indolent. Instead, you will be busy sharpening your skills.
So, be hungry and learn from others who know better than you. Never get satisfied. Remember, there is no room for complacency in life. Be humble and strive for more.
“The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second best time is now.”
Are you planting one right now? Don’t ask anyone when you should start to work on your dreams? Because that’s foolish. The time has already gone. But what is gone is gone. The second best time is NOW. So, start quickly.
People waste too much time searching for their passion. And that is just utter bullshit. Passion never strikes anyone out of the blue. No mister! It’s not Newton’s apple hanging over your head.
Passion is something that you can develop working day after day on what you know or do best or find interesting to work.
Then one day, you discover that you are working on something hours after hours, yet it seems like a few minutes. And that beautiful day, you’ll mumble smiling — Ureka! I’ve made this work my passion.
Do what you do the best — learn what you’ve always wanted to learn — be the person you wanted to be. Don’t think about the best time because that’s gone long ago. All you have is the second-best time — and that’s now.
So, hit the ball now!
“What you cannot avoid, welcome.”
In the most crucial things in our life, we have no say.
Just think about it — have you chosen the country you were born in, who your parents are, your family members, or your father’s financial condition? And, the most important thing of all: your name. Even that wasn’t your choice. It was given to you by someone else (probably your parents or close relatives).
There are thousands of things that happen in life that we have no control over. And the best way to deal with them is to embrace them (not fight them).
Embrace the things that you cannot avoid and try to bring the best outcome from them. Change the things you can change, and accept the rest.
Trust me. You will live (and die) in peace.
“Don’t listen to what they say. Go see.”
We are living in an era where we hardly make our own decisions. Google, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, and the websites, apps we visit and the advertisers behind those things decide what we think, what we buy, or even how we behave. They manipulate us twenty-four-seven.
Research says that social media apps like Facebook, Twitter, and others spread fake and untrustworthy news and influence people’s political views, even voting decisions.
That’s why as a conscious person, you should never blindly believe what media portrays or tells you to believe. You should question what media serves you on the plate. Put them under the microscope of your knowledge and wisdom. And don’t buy popular and readily-available opinions.
Here is another Chinese proverb that can guide you — “A wise man makes his own decisions. An ignorant man follows public opinion.”
Always try to be a wise man and do your own research before believing what others want you to believe.
“Giving your son a skill is better than giving him one thousand pieces of gold.”
As a parent, you want your children to skip all the struggles you encountered in your life. You want them to be always happy and successful. That’s why you are working your ass off, aren’t you? — to secure your children’s future. It’s understandable.
But do you know what will happen if you leave your children with all your wealth but not with the necessary yet hard-earned skills?
They will ruin both your wealth and their future.
This proverb teaches you this incredible life lesson that teaching your kids some necessary skills is far better than giving them wealth. Because if you help them learn some new skills, they can make their fortune themselves. But if you don’t do that, they will ruin themselves and the wealth you give them.
So, let your sons and daughters learn from their mistakes, let them gather the courage, and stand up when they fall.
Don’t ruin your children’s future by only making their life super easy. Let them encounter life and grow. They will find their own way for sure.
“He who hides his faults plans to make more.”
This is so true! The moment you hide your faults, thinking that it may put your reputation in jeopardy, you unknowingly put your heads into more trouble.
The initial silly mistakes or faults lead to disaster in the end. But that can surely be avoided if you acknowledge your mistakes early and seek advice (from others).
Remember, in personal or professional life — there is no shame in accepting that you did something wrong. However, when you express your faults instead of hiding them, you may find a way out to save yourself and the adverse outcome it may bring.
When you express your faults and try hard to compensate them with some right deeds, others can understand you better. And you regain your mental peace as well.
You are a human being and humans make mistakes. No one is perfect. So you shouldn’t pretend to be one. Acknowledge your faults and live a guilt-free life.
Another Chinese proverb says, — “The more you are afraid of ghosts, the more ghosts you see.” So, confront your ghosts with courage and confidence. And be free.
“A man who plants melons will harvest melons, and a man who plants beans will harvest beans.”
Yes — you reap what you sow. No exception!
Sometimes life gets hard, and you think you don’t deserve this bitter time.
But take a few moments, sit alone in a quiet room, and think about your current condition carefully. Isn’t this the outcome of all the choices you made and all the things you did for years?
You make your own destiny with your own hand. You are responsible for who you are or what you achieved or failed to achieve so far. Yes — so many people came into your life and played their parts. But you were always in the driving seat. Isn’t that right?
You will always have control over what you think, choose, decide, and how you act. It is you who can create or destroy your past, present, and future. Stop blaming others for your miserable life and start the reconstruction process immediately.
Remember, you cannot expect melons planting beans. It’s not possible. So, keep an eye on what you are planting today.
To Conclude
Life is full of ups and downs. But never let the bad times take total control over your mind. Be hopeful — keep your eyes fixed towards the end of the tunnel. After darkness, light must come.
As I said earlier, proverbs are condensed knowledge that passed the test of time. So, you can rely on them. You can use them to bring positive changes in your life and be the person you always wanted to be.
Can I hope that the above Chinese proverbs will guide you towards a meaningful and exciting life?
Peace!
Thank you for reading.
You may read the following articles to know more about life and happiness —
