684 Quotes by Chinese authors

Chinese sayings and classical lines often speak in spare brushstrokes: moral reflection tempered by humility, paradox framed by everyday images. Rivers soften stone, bamboo bends without breaking; seasons measure patience, not clocks. Filial duty sits beside wanderer’s freedom, while the Dao murmurs under market talk. Humor slips in sidelong, a grin behind a sleeve. Values are suggested, not shouted; emptiness gives shape to form. Balance, reciprocity, and endurance mingle with the quiet warmth of tea steam curling through winter light.

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"We think too small, like the frog at the bottom of the well. He thinks the sky is only as big as the top of the well. If he surfaced, he would have an entirely different view"

Mao Tse-Tung, Leader

Mao Tse-Tung

"Poverty is not socialism. To be rich is glorious"

Deng Xiaoping, Leader

Deng Xiaoping

"Cherish that which is within you, and shut off that which is without; for much knowledge is a curse"

Zhuangzi, Philosopher

"He who learns but does not think is lost! He who thinks but does not learn is in great danger"

Confucius, Philosopher

"Better a diamond with a flaw than a pebble without"

Confucius, Philosopher

"Kindly words do not enter so deeply into men as a reputation for kindness"

Mencius, Philosopher

Mencius

"Life and human society are the chief concern of Confucianism and, through it, the chief concern of the Chinese people"

Hu Shih, Philosopher

"To the mind that is still, the whole universe surrenders"

Lao Tzu, Author

"The journey of a thousand miles begins with one step"

Lao Tzu, Author

"He who conquers others is strong; he who conquers himself is mighty"

Lao Tzu, Author

"Do not impose on others what you yourself do not desire"

Confucius, Philosopher

"In a country well governed, poverty is something to be ashamed of. In a country badly governed, wealth is something to be ashamed of"

Confucius, Philosopher

"If the gentleman has ability, he is magnanimous, generous, tolerant, and straightforward, through which he opens the way to instruct others"

Xun Kuang, Philosopher

Xun Kuang

"It doesn't matter if a cat is black or white, so long as it catches mice"

Deng Xiaoping, Leader

Deng Xiaoping

"The fish trap exists because of the fish. Once you've gotten the fish, you can forget the trap. The rabbit snare exists because of the rabbit. Once you've gotten the rabbit, you can forget the snare. Words exist because of meaning. Once you've gotten the meaning, you can forget the words"

Zhuang Zi, Philosopher

"The perfect man employs his mind as a mirror; it grasps nothing, it refuses nothing, it receives but does not keep"

Zhuang Zi, Philosopher

"I'm crazy, but I'm not stupid"

Jackie Chan, Actor

Jackie Chan

"That's so different in Hong Kong when I'm using my own mother language, I can treat the line in one thousand different ways, with many different reactions"

Chow Yun-Fat, Actor

Chow Yun-Fat

"In the West audiences think I am a stereotyped action star, or that I always play hitmen or killers. But in Hong Kong, I did a lot of comedy, many dramatic films, and most of all, romantic roles, lots of love stories. I was like a romance novel hero"

Chow Yun-Fat, Actor

Chow Yun-Fat

"I believe the world is one big family, and we need to help each other"

Jet Li, Actor

"The Chinese people, too, went through all kinds of vicissitudes in their religious development"

Hu Shih, Philosopher

"If you can spend a perfectly useless afternoon in a perfectly useless manner, you have learned how to live"

Lin Yutang, Author

"Every time your picture is taken, you lose a part of your soul"

Anna May Wong, Actress

"China should bury head to work diligently for 10 years, and then raise head to face Japan"

Yuan Shikai, Soldier

Yuan Shikai

"To see things in the seed, that is genius"

Lao Tzu, Author

"One can not reflect in streaming water. Only those who know internal peace can give it to others"

Lao Tzu, Author

"When virtue is lost, benevolence appears, when benevolence is lost, right conduct appears, when right conduct is lost, expedience appears. Expediency is the mere shadow of right and truth; it is the beginning of disorder"

Lao Tzu, Author

"He who does not trust enough, will not be trusted"

Lao Tzu, Author

"Do the difficult things while they are easy and do the great things while they are small. A journey of a thousand miles must begin with a single step"

Lao Tzu, Author

"A good traveler has no fixed plans, and is not intent on arriving"

Lao Tzu, Author

"Death and life have their determined appointments; riches and honors depend upon heaven"

Confucius, Philosopher

"An oppressive government is more to be feared than a tiger"

Confucius, Philosopher

"Ability will never catch up with the demand for it"

Confucius, Philosopher

"When it is obvious that the goals cannot be reached, don't adjust the goals, adjust the action steps"

Confucius, Philosopher

"We should feel sorrow, but not sink under its oppression"

Confucius, Philosopher

"Virtue is not left to stand alone. He who practices it will have neighbors"

Confucius, Philosopher

"To practice five things under all circumstances constitutes perfect virtue; these five are gravity, generosity of soul, sincerity, earnestness, and kindness"

Confucius, Philosopher

"The firm, the enduring, the simple, and the modest are near to virtue"

Confucius, Philosopher

"It does not matter how slowly you go, as long as you do not stop"

Confucius, Philosopher

"The skilful employer of men will employ the wise man, the brave man, the covetous man, and the stupid man"

Sun Tzu, Philosopher

Sun Tzu

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