Proverbs - Part I
Tuesday, April 1, 2008 – 7:20 pm(Note: Proverbs are 谚语. Idioms are 成语.)
| Proverb | Meaning | Example Sentence |
| A stitch in time saves nine. | If you fix a small problem right away, it will not become a bigger problem later. | Let’s patch the roof before that hole gets bigger. A stitch in time saves nine. |
| Still waters run deep. | Quiet people are often very thoughtful. | Jill: I get the impression that Nathan is not very smart. He never says anything. Jane: Don’t be so sure. Still waters run deep, you know. |
| A penny saved is a penny earned. | Money that you save is more valuable than money that you spend right away; it is good to save money. | Now that you have your first job, you ought to open a savings account. A penny saved is a penny earned. |
| People who live in glass houses shouldn’t throw stones. | You should not criticize other people for having the same faults that you yourself have. | Jill: Richard sure was drinking a lot at the office party. Jane: I noticed you had quite a few cocktails yourself. People who live in glass houses shouldn’t throw stones. |
Notes:
A stitch in time saves nine makes more sense if you think of it with commas like this: a stitch, in time, saves nine. The “in time” here means “after a while” or “after time passes.” So let’s say you get a hole in your pants. If you fix it right away, it will only require one stitch. If you wait until later, the hole will get bigger and it will then require nine stitches to fix it. So one stitch now will save nine stitches later: a stitch in time saves nine.
 |