Brett

A very cool book! My friend Steve turned me on to this about twenty years ago and I keep coming back to it regularly.

“A man of high standing does not enter a lowly establishment.”

“Fear not the official, just the office.”

“When the train whistle blows, a river of gold flows.”

“Repeat something three times, and not even the dogs will listen.”

“A great man overlooks the flaws of a lesser man, and a Prime Minister has a capacious nature.”

“A warrior can be killed but not dishonored; a woman can die but not be defiled.”

“Get snakebit once and you’ll fear ropes for three years.”

“Wild geese leave behind their cry; men leave behind a name.”

“The best work requires the finest tools.”

“A scholar will die for a true friend, a bird will sing for an admirer.”

“If you want to defeat an enemy, first go after his king.”

“Obedience is the path to survival, stubbornness only leads to trouble.”

“A carriage cannot reach the mountain without a road, but a boat can sail even against the wind.”

“Better a live rat than a dead prefect.”

“You can tell a mule from a horse by taking it out for a ride.”

“Scare the monkeys by killing the chicken.”

“One beauty mark can negate a hundred moles.”

“Throw a meaty bun at a dog and it’ll never come back.”

“When virtue rises one foot, vice rises ten.”

“A desirable man is burdened with an undesirable wife, while an ugly man marries a lovely maiden.”

“A revered husband deserves an honored wife.”

“Fortunate people live a life of ease; the wretched among us spend their life on their knees.

“Cast a brick to attract jade.”

“When the moon is bright, a bald man shines, and when the water rises, the ferryboat floats highest.”

“While we are not related, we come from the same place.”

“Whether one lives or dies is already written somewhere.”

“Do not hit someone in the face or reveal another’s shortcomings.”

“A lack of forbearance in small matters upsets great plans.”

“Confront soldiers with generals and dam water with earth.”