Arthur W. Hummel Sr., notebooks, Fenchow, China 1914-1924

作一天和尚撞一天鐘

從火自焚 effect his own ruin instead of other people's

受人之託必了人之事

沒有不散的筵席

亡羊補牢 wise after the event

人急造反，狗急跳墻 driven to extremities

龍九種 family characteristics vary

各陽雖好不如家

欠字壓人頭 in reference to the character 欠 as a weight on the head of a man. [I?] 衙門八字開 官字兩個口

一人不久廟，二人不看井 lest the priests should make [way?] with [hind?] lest are fall into the well and the other be acused of murder.

人拾錢，窮人拾力 - to enable each to live

久病知醫 a long illness makes one acquainted with the doctor

此地無硃砂紅土為貴 In the realm of the blind the one eyed is king.

盡信書不如無書 better have no books than believe all their contents

[Page 2] 買賣好作夥計難答

水平不流 If your charter is even men can't spread evil reports about you.

黃河之水天上來 奔流到海再不復回 By Tu Fu (?) on the flight of time.

家家門口通北京 All roads lead to Peking.

緣木求魚 Climb a tree for a fish look for a needle in a haystack

處處老[鴉?]一般黑 crows black everywhere

各人修各人得 As you make your bed you must lie in it

堂中無伇僕心是好 人家 The honest man has no handsome servants.

表壯不如裏壯

水太清則無魚，人太緊 則無智

沢佛勸土佛 Pot calls kettle black.

死蛇活尾 a debt not all paid still can trouble

破人姻[緣?]七世愆 break betrothals a 7 generation crime

自唱無聲 help others

犁不著耙亦著 by hook or by crook

[Page 3] 魯班門前弄斧子 Don't presume to teach one who knows far better than you Lo Pan is patron saint of carpenters.

恨鐵不成鋼 vexed with dull pupils

實事求是 after investigate to do what is right

畫餅充飢 feeding on shadows

蛇脫(F=[t'uo?])皮 In succession

凡事頭難

由淺入深

畫蛇添足 exaggeration

有飯大家吃 share spoils said by Pres. Si Yuan Hung

妄加月日 unjust criticism

一言興邦一言喪邦 lun yu

其爭也君子 is his contests archery he is still a gentleman Lun yü.

過了河就拆橋 selfishness

退避賢路 make way for a better man

小點大癡 penny wise, pound foolish

雨過天晴

囫圇吞棗兒 to read without digesting

學到老學不了

人活一世，草生一春

[Page 1] 我唱，你倒不彈 no response.

一個人挑水，雨個人擡水， 三個人買水 the more servants about the less the work done.

水長船高 the price of this has gone up so I am obliged to charge a higher rate.

走和尚走不了寺 there is ample security for the debt.

傳家惟有荣根香 the only way to keep a family in existance for generations is to think cabbage-stalks since it be economical in food.

不怕慢只怕站

一回生兩回熟

打狗還要看主人面上 = F[?]

僧不問姓，道不問寿

上天有道無人走

知者不言，言者不知

頭頂三尺有聖靈

廣錢固可以通神 a story is told of a magistrate of the T'ang dynasty 張延賞 who about to decide a long standing case found in the bench a card saying "30,000 strings of cash will be given if this case is not enquired into. Yet he determined to push the inquiry, but next day found a card offering 100,000 strings of cash to hush up the case, and relasing that such an award could move the gods and influence any affair, he deemed it advisable to stop proceedings lest trouble might come to him. if 神通廣大 = a pull.

[Page 2] 嘴上沒毛辦事不牢 without a mustache one is not a sound business man - ie before the age of 40.

盡人事，聽天命 do your best and leave the rest to Providence - Giles - F

末計勝先計 second thoughts are best.

三人同行，必有我師 - Confucius of us three men walking together, one is sure to be able to teach me something

觀於海者難水 he who has seen the sea find it difficult to think anything of other waters

你有我有，就是朋友 when you have (money) and I have (money), that's friendship - Giles

孩子往外走，帶著娘的手 when a child goes out it carries with it the impress of the mother's hand -referring to cleanliness, neatness etc - Giles

寧可無了有，不可有了無 better to have after not having, than not to have after having had.

得人一牛，還人一馬 get an ox, return a hourse - is the rule for giving and receiving presents.

人間私語，天聞若雷 words whispered on earth sound like thunder in heaven,

出乎爾，反乎爾 (Mencius) what proceeds from you will return to you again.

開門造車，出門合轍 you may stay at home and make a cart, but when you go out you must adapt yourself to such ruts as there are - do anything you like in private, but in public stick to the rules of society - Giles

百問不如一見

[Page 3] 千金之裘非一狐之腋 Rome was not built in a day

貪悖而久者, 亦悖而出 Ill gotten gains never prosper.

巧媳婦做不出沒米的 飯來 one cannot accomplish the impossible

失之車隅收之桑榆 make up for past disappointments.

主僕出一轍 like master like [servant]

瓜田不納屨 do not tie your shoes in a melon patch

梨下不整冠 do not straighten your cap under a pear tree

一犬吠形, 百犬吠聲

[?]泥匠不拜佛, 老底兒在[?] 心裏 the image maker does not worship Buddha: he knows what stuff he is made of.

金山不及古山高

世上無難事只怕有心人 perseverance overcomes difficulties

好話一句三冬煖 one kindly sent[ence] will harm you for three winters - alludes to the story of [舊?]仙 who warmed his guests by the "fire from his mouth - Giles also translated "One kind word will keep you warm for three winters.

會者不難, 難者不會 it is not diff[icult] to those who can do it, if it is difficul[t] it is because they cannot do it.

[Page 1] 不喫藥當中醫 Nature is better than a middling doctor.

爭之不足, 讓之友餘 by fighting you never get enough, by yielding you get more than you want - Giles

讓人非我弱守己任他强 to yield does not mean that I am weak, but that I am under self restraint and leave blustering to others

花錢花在刀刃上 in spending money on a sword, put it into the blade.

孤掌難鳴 can't clap hands with one palm

孤樹不成林 one tree doesn't make a grove

羊有跪乳之恩 lambs have the grace to suck kneeling

德有鄰 virtue has neighbor

山不在高有仙則名 水不在身有龍則靈

茍日新日日新 If you can renovate yourself one day, do so every day -- inscription on bath tub of Tang 湯 BC

[知]者樂水, 乍者樂山 the wise take pleasure in water, the virtuos in hills - Giles

上天不生無祿之人 God never sends a man into the world without his alloted share of happiness" - Giles

罵人不用打草稿 in cursing people it is not necessary to prepare a draft -- words come easily as required - Giles

瞞得過人，瞞不過天 You can deceive man, but you can't deceive God

[Page 2] 射帛黑人心

出門不惹三子 when you go out from home there are 3 子 which you should not irritate - big 老子 old men, 小子 boys, and 瞎子 blind men.

遠處燒香不如近地作福

上有天堂下有蘇杭

兒行千里母担憂 母行千里兒不愁

時來誰不來，時不來，誰來 when fortune smiles who doesn't? when fortune doesn't, who does? Giles

樹大招風 tall trees invite the wind

恕字終身可行 forgiveness is a rule good enough for a lifetime

樹倒之下必有枯枝 black sheep in every family

寧飲木而瘦，母食言而肥 better get thin on water than fat by breaking (eating) one's own words

墻倒眾人推 every one gives a shove to a falling wall.

水口拉不出象來 from the small sink hole in the wall you can't drag out an elephant.

攀倒大樹有柴燒 go after big game if you can go after any at all.

財能壯膽 money makes a man bold

話不投［機？］半可多 if what is said is not to the point or suitable to occasion then 1/2 a sentence is too much.

[Page 3] 看花容易，繡花難 一不做二不休 If at first you 用其一緩其二 one thing at a time

無恒產者無恒心

狗攀樹的杈 A dog climbing a tree - not safe.

蝦蟆想吃天蛾的肉 the toad contemplating eating crane's flesh -the impracticable.

老虎也有打盹的時候 even the tiger has his naps.

胖子不是一口兒吃的 Rome was not built in a day

一個巴掌拍不響 it takes two to make a quarrell. cf 孤掌難鳴

許而不與不如不許 better make no promises than break them.

射人先射馬, 擒賊先擒王

莫問能不能, 但問肯不肯

一言不中, 千言無用 One word not to the point makes a thousand words of none

看命先生半路死, 地理先生 無處埋 the fortune teller dies in the prime of life, the geomancer has no burying place.

郎中醫病, 不能醫命 a doctor can cure disease, but can't guarante life.

天上多一仙人, 不如世上多一聖賢 better are more good men on earth than an extra angel in heaven.

將欲取之必先與之 If you want to take you must first give.

士俗不可醫 If a man is commonplace, he cannot be cured - there is no hope for him. (Giles 10, 313)

脫俗 unconventional

讀書千徧, 其義自見

天無私覆 heaven covers no man in particular. Giles 3723 10, 956 地無私載 the earth supports no one in particular but all men equally.

之乎者也矣焉哉 能使好了是秀才

井裡蝦蟆井裡好 the frog of the well is best in the well. Giles Dict 2151

井鼃不可以語於海者 you cannot talk of the ocean to a well-frog. Giles Dict 2151

勞心者不必勞力 勞力者未必勞心

[Page 2] 誤打了磁瓶說愛聽響[?] To make a virtue of necessity

閻王好見, 小鬼難纏 to interview Yen Wang is a trifle it's the small demon who cause the trouble - Giles "Yen"

又隳去長城一角矣 away goes a corner of our Great Wall of an eminent general just deceased

小慧大愚 Penny wise and pound foolish

不怕討債的直兇只怕 欠債的直窮

亡國之民不如喪家之犬

舉一隅, 不以三隅反 if I give a man one corner of a subject, and he cannot infer from that the other three, - I teach him no more - Confucius

狗口沒得象牙 you can't get ivory out of a dog's mouth - make a silk purse out of a sow's ear.

An angry fist cannot strike a smiling face - Giles

[Page 3] 要求南風, 須開北牖 If you want to get a south wind, you must open the north window - to secure health keep the passage clear - Giles. 3554

錢能通神 money can move the gods

如扃言有恒 If a man keeps [his?] [?] his words become proverbial - Giles

一動不如一靜 to try to do anything is relief of a given circumstance is not so good as to remain quiet.

尾大不掉 the tail is large and will [not] be wagged. The subject is strong and the rule is weak. (from 左傳. cf. 末大必折 Great branches are sure to break the roots.

好事多磨 no rose without a thorn.

生不帶來, 死不帶去 we brought nothing into the world, neither will we carry anything out.

編新不如述舊 making up new combinations is not so good as making k[?] old ones.

八字兒沒見一撇兒 the stroke of the character 八 not yet [visible?] - nothing has yet been done

塞翁失馬莫非是福 like old [Sai?] losing his horse; it was good luck after all. The horse he lost was a plague to oth[ers?]

大水沖了龍王廟 hoist with one's own petard - self deception.

得一步, 進一步 give an inch he will take [one?] all.

人之患在好為人師 the curse mankind is the desire to teach others

有禮走遍天下 with politeness you can travel to the ends of the earth. 無禮寸步難行

不失盧山真面 keep lu shan in view thru the fog - still the same, undamaged by pride.

久賭必偷 gamblers ultimately turn thief.

當面不傷情 don't hurt friendly feelings face to face

君要臣死不死死不忠 [?]要子亡不亡不孝

養子方知父母恩 Bring up children and you will then understand the kindness of your parents.

事非經過不知難

甜從苦[裏?]來

飯要給飢人吃 話要給知人說

不平則鳴 The Chinese nation is like the Yellow River which is turbulent and roars because it is uneven below - [?]

上品之人不教而善 [?]品之人教而後善 [?]品之人教而不善

懲創於己然不如警愓於 未然 Prevention is better than cure.

弘法筆誤 Even Kobo Taishi makes mistakes - Japanese

[?]落木Even the monkey falls from the tree - Japanese

[?]尺離師蔭不踏 - Japanese

正直頭宿神 In the head of a good man sleeps a divinity - Japanese

誰知鳥[?]雄 Who can distinguish the male and female (sex) of crows? Japanese

[Page 2] The tusks of the elephant are its own undoing - Giles 像有齒而焚其身

善惡不並合

養軍千日，用在一朝 Troops are kept a thousand days, to be used on one

不到黃河不死心 Until you go to the Yellow River you will not be satisfied. - that it exists - Giles 4562

成人不自在，自在不成人 To succeed you must not take it easy: take it easy, and you will not succeed.

凍冰三尺非一日之寒

沒有不透風的牆 He who is in the right does not need to speak in a loud voice. For no matter how how loftly the mountains are they cannot reach the sun.

伯樂知千里馬而千里 馬不常有 Ordinary men are easy to find, but not extraordinary men.

[Page 3] 河山不隔故人心 the [sentimt?] on a Chinese seal.

要作第一等人，須為第一等事

鳥鴉反哺，羊老跪乳

人必自侮然後人侮之 Giles A man must isult himself before others will. [?] in sayings of Confucius p 70

曲高必賤，棋高必貴 a man who sings a song well will take a low position in life: a man who plays chess well, a high one.

花不長好，月不長圓 人無千日好，花無百日紅 太陽不能老正午 Every dog has his day - [Herneling?] Dict

一問三不知，神也怪不的 If you never know, then you can't be blamed.

棒頭出孝子 out of the stick comes the filial son - spare the rod and spoil the child.

一人計短，二人計長 one man's plan is short, two men's plan is long - two heads are better than one - Giles 3363