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

米是米, 飯是飯 (mi is rice as grain, fan is cooked rice). cf. "East is East, and west is west."

積財千萬不如薄技在身 Great wealth is not as good as ability to work a trade.

君子上不怨天, 下不尤人 The princely man does not murmer against heaven, nor grumble against men.

仁者無敵 the benevolent (humane) have no enemies - Mencius V 6, p 12.

馬不背主 The horse does not turn its back on its master.

一波未平一波又起 It never rains but it pours.

雙斧伐孤樹 burn the candle at both ends - fell a single tree with a double ax - examine love for wine and money

丸泥亦可封函關 even a pellet of mud may close the Han barrier - said of a well-reliant hero

閑弓少拉, 閑馬少騎 An unused bow must be stretched gradually and infrequently at first, until limbered, so a horse

[Page 2] 善與人交, 久而敬之

積善之家必有餘慶 積惡之家必有餘殃

事要三思免勞後悔

言多語失食多傷心.

酒要少吃事要多知

敏而好學不恥下問 One should (like King Wen) be diligent and studious, and not ashamed to ask for information from others inferior to oneself.

但行好事莫問前程 Do good without inquiring what will be the future result.

與人方便自己方便 To benefit others is to benefit oneself.

屈志老成急可相依 Reference to men of age and experience will bring support in time of need.

施專無念受恩莫忘.

俗眼不識神仙

[Page 3] 醫得病, 醫不得命 A man's disease can be cured but not his luck. - Giles 7962

三人同行, 必有我師 When I walk with two men, at least one of them can teach me something.

心要忠恕, 意要誠實 Let faithfulness and sympthy guide your heart, and sincerity and honesty your mind.

萬事分己定, 浮生空自忙 All things are preordained; in vain do mortals fling themselves in this fleeting life.

君子坦[?], 小人長戚戚 A wise and good man is composed and happy; a fool is always wound and full of distress.

一個人出本, 一個人出身 one finds the capital, the other the lala

君子務本 The superior devotes himself to the fundamentals.

好馬不背雙鞍 A good horse cannot wear two saddles - serve two masters [Giles] Dict 7576

人有失錯, 馬有漏蹄 man sometimes even as a horse sometimes stumbles. Giles Dict 7576

慣騎馬慣跌跤 those accustomed to ride are accustomed to fall Giles 7576

[Page 1] 牛耕田, 馬喫穀 the ox tills the field and the horse eats the grain -- sic vos non volie Giles Dict. 7576

知之非艱行之惟艱 It is not difficult to have visions, the difficulty lies in carrying them out. Sun Wen (Sun Yat-sen) says the reverse of this is the truth ie 知之惟艱, 行之非艱

知行合 -- Practice what you preach -- Wang Yang Ming

言一句三冬暖, 惡口傷人六月寒

雨裏深雪裏煙, 看時容易 做時難 The mountains in rain and mist in snow are easy to lash at but difficult to reproduce.

無名草木年年發不信男兒一世窮 Shrubs and plants flail year after year tho unknown to fame; so do not believe that a man of character will remain poor all his life.

不與人行方便, 念盡彌陀 總是空 If you do not good to other all you prayers to Buddha will be in vain.

少年休笑白頭翁, 花開能有幾時紅 Let not the young laugh at men of grey hairs. When a flower blooms, how long does its blossom last?

[Page 2] 無苦無得 No pains no gains

能勤能精 No work no rest. The above two matters on walls of mammal training soon in Fenchow.

得榮恩辱. 處安恩危 When honored, think of disgrace: when secure, think of danger.

老實常在．脫空常敗 An honest man will always prosper: a crafty man will never succeed.

兒孫自有兒孫福，莫為兒 孫作馬牛

冤有頭債有主 Every may[?] has its cause; every debt has its debter.

君子一言快馬一鞭 One word to the super man is like one touch of the whip to a swift horse.

不怕慢，只怕站

困獸猶鬪 The crushed worm will turn.

順天者存，逆天者亡

[Page 3] 事非經過不知難 You do not know how difficult anything is until you have tried it - Giles Dict 2122

人是舊的好衣裳是新的好．

無風三尺土，有雨一街泥

春困秋乏冬不醒

酒要少吃事要多知

不上高山不顯平地 If you do not scale the mountain you cannot view the plain.

一回虫兩回熟

百人吃百味

以義為利

耕讀為本

忙人無智

海底撈月has 2

小兒無偽 wei 3 deceive

人心之不同如其面焉 ye

[Page 1] 烈女不事二夫忠臣不事二主 For a fine collector of sayings from the Shu Ching see my clipping file under "I" for As. Ingram's article in Far Eastern Times June 17 1924. eg. He who likes to ask becomes enlarged. He who uses only himself becomes small.

O! He who would take care for his end must be attentive of his beginning.

It is the mouth which gives reason for shame.

Before shield and spear are used one should examine oneself.

老天爺餓不死瞎家雀 Common in Peking. Heaven will not let even a blind sparrow die of starvation.

垛[泥?]匠不拜佛 老底在我心禮 The image maker never worships the gods he knows what they are made of.

英雄造時勢, 時勢造英雄

慣騎馬, 慣跌跤 No pains no gains (Without ventures in buying curios etc you will not get good things).

[Page 2] 貴的不貴, 賤的不賤 Dear things are not dear and cheap things are not cheap.

泰山不壓土, 所以成其高 Mt. Tai had no objection to mud in any quantity, and so attained its height - Giles Dict 13031

有疾不治常得中醫 Nature is better than a middling doctor.

有志者事竟成 [Han?] Han 書 有理彈得天子, 無理阿爹 不得打孫子.

一方水土一方人

三十六著, 走為善著 of the 36 moves (at chess), the best move is to move. Giles Dict. 2394

白圭之玷, 尚可磨也 a flaw in a white gemstone may be ground away, - but for a flaw in speed, there is nothing to be done - Giles Dict 6434

甘井先竭 The sweet well is first exhausted; refering to the genius who dies young - Chuang Tzu

[Page 3] 鐵船紙人, 紙船鐵人 proverb used by Canton sailors. Quoted by Herth in J.R.B.R.F.S. Vol 20, p 187

作事須存天理, 出言要順人心 In action one should accord with the will of heaven. In word one should consult the feelings of men. Tsang Dict. p3

禮下于人將有有求 from 左傳 When one is about to ask a favor he first makes a present.

鳥兒自呼其名 The bird call his own name. eg. cookoo, whiper will et. al.

附身之言聞於千里 A word spoken in the ear is heard a thousand miles off.

山中方七日，世上已千年 Only a week's time in the mountains is equal to a thousand years in the world. Tsang Dict

男僧寺對著女寺，沒事也有事 or 僧門對尼門沒事也有事．

戶樞不蠹 The axis of a door never becomes rotten. Tsang Dict. p 348

世路難行錢作馬 Safe is a hard road money is the horse.

一條草一滴露 Each blade of grass has a drop of dew -- every one may be sure of a little to live on.

一家圍牆，兩家方便 For one to erect a dividing wall between his own and another's premises is a convenience to both parties.

一家之計在於和，一生之計在 於勤 Harmony should be the policy of the family, diligence that of the individual.

年之計在於春一日之計 在於寅 Make up plans for the year in the spring, and those for the day in the early morning.

茫茫四海人無數，那個男兒 是大夫 There are countless myriads of men in the world, but what of them can be called a real hero.

海還有底有邊，學問竟無底 無邊

人離鄉賤，物離鄉貴

事雖小不作不成，子雖賢不教 不明

一根草有一根草的露水養

[Page 2] 要為人上人，須受苦中苦 or 不受苦中苦，難成人上人

布袋盛米放倒即寢 a bag full of rice collapses when the rice is poured out. Cf. Benj. Franklin's "An empty sack cannot stand upright."

回天意盡人力 Endeavor to make Heaven favorable, and put forth all your efforts - Williams Dict p 373

有禮不在遲

知彼知己，百戰百勝一（兵法）

兒孫自有兒孫福，莫為兒 孫作馬牛

多一言寧少一言

非人磨墨，墨磨人 It's not the man who wears out (rules) the ink, it is the ink which wears out the man by his application to study.

大筆寫大字，大人辦大事

快的不快慢的不慢

[Page 3] 會買的不如會賣的 The merchant can always outwit the customer - for he will not sell unless he makes money here all his protestations about loss are vain

看棋不語是君子

問倒了比打倒了强 It is better to down another by reason than by force.

有理講倒人 If you are in the right, have no fear, in the end you can down your man.

人敬濶的 狗咬破的 Said to show the decadence of the times, when where honor the well dressed and even the dogs in the street bark at those in tatters.

失之毫釐謬以千里 A man[?] is as good as a mule.

城門失火殃及池魚 When the city gate catches fire, the fish in the moat suffer for it - the innocent are involved.

指佛穿衣，[賴?]佛吃飯

[Page 1] 賣席的睡土炕 The mat-seller has to sleep on a mat-less bed.

成者王[?]敗者賊 When a revolutionist succeeds he becomes a ruler, if he fails he is counted a robber.

有被不會蓋, 會蓋沒有被 一物不知, 儒者之[?] the old idea 人不求人, 一般大 When no man seeks favors from any other, then all men are equal - Giles 5624

一筆寫不出兩理字

紛洗烏鴉白不久 A white- washed crow will not long remain white.

不上高山, 不顯平地. If you do not scale the mountain, you cannot view the plain.

出外一里, 不如家惠 A mile from home is not as good as being at home - Giles Dict 1139.

俗眼不識神仙 有的不知無的苦 Those who have do not realize the bitterness of those who have not.

[Page 2] 天下未亂, 蜀先亂 天下己治蜀未治 人老心不老 人窮志不窮

閻王易交, 小鬼難纏 龍[?]淺水為蝦戲 虎到平原被犬斯

A son in law may perform half the duty of a son, but a daughter-in-law must do twice as much as the daughter.

金 ke la, 銀 ke ka, 比不 上家裡的一個[窮悶?] la (corner) Home is best.

戶開亦開, 戶闔亦闔 If a mans door is open let it stay open, if it is shut let it stay shut.

有山無木, 有水無魚, 有人 無義 taken from 雞肋編

[Page 3] Interesting Character Revelations

名 ming2 = at dusk it is necessary to give one's name to be known.

醫 i = to take an arrow 矢 out of a quiver 匚 to [shoot?] 殳 at the evil influences, which cause disease and to give to the each elixirs 酉 to revive him.

與 yü3 to give, [with?], by 勺 [glyph] a spoon with [點] contents -- which was drawn straight up. [glyphs] = the full spoon with a [橫] to show it being emptied [therefore] to give. [glyph] the two hands of the receiver were added below, and of the giver [glyph] handing the gift down from above.

學 hsüeh [glyph] both hands [glyph] of the teacher act from above upon the hsüeh [glyph] both hands [glyph] of the teacher act from above upon the 冖 waste place 冂 where ignorance dwells in the mind of the pupil 子

年 [glyph] above is 禾 [glyph] he2 grain. Below is 千 [glyph] ch'ien1 thousand. The harvest the thousand 于 grains 禾. A year (千 [glyph] = ten 十 times one hundred) The time required for a harvest.

爿 chiang2 a board, bed, strong = a tree [glyph] 爿 cut in half.

兵 ping1 = a soldier brandishing an axe [glyph] with two hands

閒 hsien2 = moonlight streaming through a closed door & 開，悶 - so interstice [illegible]

縣 [glyph] a district a place where criminals were executed and then heads hung upside down by a rope 系 [glyph] hard [?] [out thread?]. 県 = 首 shou2 upside down [showing?] hair hanging down. [glyph]

冬 [glyph] a thread the end of which is fixed by a tie or [illegible] to keep it closed, [?] [glyph] end fix[?] 冬 = meant frozen; end of year. old form [glyph] meant cessation of solar [日] action.