Famous sayings and aphorisms with explanations

1. A day without books means everything is in ruins.

Translation: You must persevere in reading and never stop reading for a day.

2. The sage uses his enlightenment to make others enlighten, but now he uses his faintness to make others enlighten.

Translation: A wise person must first understand himself and then make others understand; today’s people are still confused but insist on making others understand.

3. Those who love others will always be loved by others; those who respect others will always be respected by others.

Translation: Those who love others will be loved by others; those who respect others will be respected by others.

4. Be true to your word and bear fruit in your deeds.

Translation: You must keep your word when you speak, and you must act resolutely.

5. Black-haired people don’t know how to study diligently early, and white-haired people regret studying late.

Translation: Cherish time.

6. What you look up to becomes taller, and what you drill into becomes stronger.

Translation: Look up, and the more you look, the higher you feel; study hard, and the more you study, the more difficult you feel.

7. To nourish the heart, don’t be good at having few desires.

Translation: The best way to cultivate your mind is to reduce material desires.

8. To know is to know, and to not know is to know. This is knowledge.

Translation: (The knowledge I teach you) What you know is you know, what you don’t know is you don’t know, this attitude is wise.

9. Be true to your word and bear fruit in your deeds.

Translation: You must be trustworthy when you speak, and you must be decisive when doing things.

10. Wealth and honor cannot lead to adultery, poverty and lowliness cannot change, and power cannot yield. This is called a true man.

Translation: Wealth cannot disturb my heart, poverty and lowliness cannot change my aspirations, and power cannot bend my integrity. Only in this way can I be called a real man.

11. If you review the past and learn the new, you can become a teacher.

Translation: Review old knowledge to gain new insights or discoveries. In this way, you can become a teacher.

12. You cannot admonish those who have gone by, but you can still pursue those who have come.

Translation: The past is irreversible, but there is still time to correct the future.