The emotional lives of the Chinese people have been controlled by means of traditional ceremonies that standardize and organize emotion. In traditional China
Confucius preached moderation in everything – including emotions. According to his ‘doctrine of the mean’, joy and sorrow must be moderate and a free expression of feelings is considered barbaric. Confucius' approach is still manifested in the behavior of contemporary Chinese. For example, when asked how their business is doing, they will answer "so-so", even though it may be very prosperous. Likewise, they will usually say "not bad" 不错 when they actually mean "very good".
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图难于其易
为大于其細
天下难事必作于易﹔
天下大事必作于細。
是以圣人终不为大故能成其大
夫轻诺必寡信多易必多难。
是以圣人犹难之故终无难矣。
Be ready to cope with difficulties while it is still easy to do so.
Cope with the big while it is still small.
Big problems of the world need to be taken care of while they are still small.
Big problems need to be taken care of when they begin.
The wise man starts to take care of difficulties early, before they become big.
From the beginning, wise man deals with small difficulties as if they were big ones.
Therefore, finally he has no difficulty.
Dao de Jing, 63
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人无千日好花无百日红
Literally: Man does not have a thousand [successive] good days, [just as] a flower is not red for a [successive] hundred days
Man cannot always be happy, just as a flower cannot bloom forever.
In English they say:
All good things must come to an end.
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上天无路人地无门
There is no way to heaven and no gate to earth
There is no way out; a desperate situation.
The same idea is echoed in the idiom:
井底里划船没有出路
Literally: Rowing the boat to the bottom of the well – there is no way out.
Alternatively:
瓶子里的苍蝇没有出路
A fly in a bottle - there is no way out
Or:
老鼠进了笼六面没出路
A rat enters a cage – from six directions, there is no way out
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四面楚歌
Songs of Chu from four directions
A desperate situation - being surrounded by the enemy from all directions.
This is based on the following story:
At the end of the Qin 秦 dynasty (221-206 BCE) the State of Han Chu China Chu . Xiang Yu was very surprised and asked "Did Liu Bang conquer the entire State of Chu Chu to his army?" Then he fled with the rest of his army.
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苦尽甘来
Literally: [When] bitterness is over, sweetness comes.
After suffering comes happiness.
The fruits of hard work are sweet.
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剖鱼得珠喜出望外
Cuts a fish and finds a pearl – a great unexpected joy
Said of unexpected profit or being pleasantly surprised.
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水火不留情
Literally: Floods and fire have no mercy.
The phrase 水火(literally: water [and] fire) signifies "heavy disasters".
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九月的甘蔗一节比一节甜
Literally: Sugar cane in the ninth lunar month – becoming sweeter and sweeter.
Said of a person whose happiness increases.
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眉开眼笑
Literally: Eyebrows open eyes laugh.
Said of a person who beams with joy.
The same feeling is expressed in the idiom:
眉飞色舞
Literally: The eyebrows fly [and] the body dances.
Radiant with delight.
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龙王爷搬家厉害(离海)
Literally: The king of dragons moves house – a very severe situation (leaves the ocean) (pun).
Said of a difficult situation.
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鸡子拴在龟腿上飞不了我也跑不了你
Literally: A chicken tied to a turtle's leg – I cannot fly and you cannot run away.
Together in the same boat.
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好了伤疤忘了痛
When the scar is healed, the pain is forgotten
In good times, trouble is forgotten.
In English:
Back on shore, one prays no more
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住山不怕坡陡
Literally: He who lives on a mountain is not afraid of a steep slope.
He who is used to hardships is not afraid of inconvenience and distress.
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骑虎难下
He who rides a tiger will find it difficult to dismount
This idiom derives from the following story:
Yang Jian 扬坚 was the Regent of the last Emperor of the Northern Zhou 北 周 dynasty (557-581 CE). One day his wife said to him, "The Northern Zhou dynasty is like someone who rides a tiger's back. It is dangerous to dismount and there is no choice but to go on riding". He thought that her words made sense and, eventually, he founded the Sui dynasty and united China
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请鬼容易送鬼难
It is easy to invite demons, [but] difficult to send them away
It is easy to get into trouble, but difficult to get out of it.
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被雨淋过的人不怕露水
He who was drenched with rain is not afraid of dewdrops
He who has experienced hardships is not afraid of small problems.
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祸兮福所依福兮祸所依
Disaster is replaced by good luck and good luck is replaced by disaster
Do not be too excited about good luck and do not lose hope following a disaster.
There are always unexpected turns for better or for worse.
A similar idea can be found in the proverb:
甜从苦中来福从祸中生
Sweetness is derived from bitterness [and] happiness is derived from unhappiness
A parallel proverb in Hebrew:
אין רעמים שאין אחריהם מטר
Literally: There is no thunder without rain following it (Yalkut Shimoni, 1Samuel , 1)
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祸 不单 行
Disasters do not come singly
The same idea is found in the proverb:
雪上加霜
雪上加霜
Literally: Frost upon snow.
One misfortune after another.
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把它当枕头置之脑后
Literally: Think of it as a pillow – put it behind your brain.
Forget it!
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烦恼不寻人人自寻烦恼
Troubles do not seek people; [it is] the people themselves who seek troubles
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没病抓药自讨苦吃
Literally: He who is not sick [and] takes medicine – asks bitterness for himself.
Said of someone who asks for trouble.
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伤口上撒盐痛上加痛
Literally: Pours salt on an open wound – adds pain to pain.
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天塌砸众人
When the sky collapses, everybody is crushed
When a disaster strikes, nobody can escape.
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老太太的脚趾头窝囊一辈子
Old woman's tiptoes – tormented for a lifetime[1]
Said of a lifetime of unhappiness.
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三月里扇扇子满面春风
Literally: Waves his fan in the third lunar month – his face is full of spring wind.
This idiom is used to describe a person who shines with happiness.
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无事不登三宝殿
One never ascends the Temple of Three
One does not pray if one does not have problems.
Said also of one who addresses you rarely, and only to ask for help.
The same idea is expressed in the proverb:
平时不烧香临时抱佛脚
In normal times one does not burn incense, [but] when in trouble – embraces Buddha's feet
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知足者常乐
He who is contented with what he has is always happy
In Hebrew, they say:
איזהו עשיר השמח בחלקו. (אבות ד', א).
