List of Chinese Quotes

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This list of Chinese quotes includes quotes from the Chinese cultural area that belong (s) to the educational canon or are or were of outstanding importance in history and politics.

B.

book of Songs

The Book of Songs (詩經 Shījīng) is one of the Five Classics, and Confucius is believed to be its author . It is the oldest collection of poems from ancient China.

C.

Cao Cao

Cao Cao (曹操; * 155; † 220), was warlord and last chancellor of the Han dynasty . He is considered extremely cunning in the history of the Three Kingdoms and other popular writings.

「寧 我 負 人 ， 毋 人 負 我。」

「Nìng wǒ fù rén, wú rén fù wǒ」

"I'd rather cheat others than let others cheat on me"

- Alleged quote from the novel The Story of the Three Kingdoms, which is supposed to underline Cao Cao's ruthlessness

D.

The great learning

Calligraphy of the Great Learning (大學 Dàxué) in the Confucius Temple of Tainan

The Great Learning (大學 Dàxué) is a text that Chinese students had to learn by heart well into the 20th century and which conveyed a basis of Confucian state ethics.

「大學 之 道 在 明明德。」

Dà xué zhī dào zài míng míng dé.
The path of great learning involves living virtuously, renewing the people, and clinging to the highest good.
(The Great Learning owes its importance to the fact that it takes up and connects numerous topics of Chinese philosophy.)

Deng Xiaoping

Deng Xiaoping (邓小平; * 1904, † 1997) managed to take over the leadership of the Chinese Communist Party after Mao Zedong 's death despite two demotions . Without ever assuming the top positions personally, he then effectively ruled China from 1976 to 1997. Under his leadership, China developed into one of the fastest growing economies in the world.

「不管 白猫 、 黑猫 ， 逮住 老鼠 就是 好 猫。」

Bùguǎn bái māo, ​​hēi māo, ​​dàizhù lǎoshǔ jiù shì hǎo māo.
"No matter white cat, black cat, if it catches the mouse is a good cat"
(Cited by friends and enemies as evidence of his pragmatic attitude. Quoted from a secretariat meeting in which he used this saying from his home province of Sichuan .)
Deng Xiaoping (邓小平)

「實事求是。」

Shí shì qiú shì.
"Seeking the truth in the facts."
(This sentence is also intended to clarify Deng's pragmatic course and his departure from Maoist phrases. It comes from an ancient historical work, the Han Shu )

「一部分 先 富起来。」

Yībùfèn xiān fùqǐlái.
"Some should get rich first."
(This phrase outlines the policy of economic reform.)

「一国两制」

Yìguó liǎngzhì
" One country, two systems "
(Motto according to which the former colonies of Hong Kong and Macau should be allowed to maintain their economic and social systems for another 50 years if they were incorporated into the People's Republic of China. The same was promised to Taiwan .)

Three-character classic

The three-character classic compiled by the renowned Confucian scholar Wang Yinglin (王 應 麟, 1223–1296) was a teaching poem for Chinese school children that was used in Taiwan in the Republic of China until the 1960s.

「人 之初 性 本 善。」

Rén zhī chū xìng běn shàn.
"In the beginning, people are good."
(First sentence of the three-character classic, which reproduces the Confucian image of man according to Menzius: "Eating and drinking, man and woman, man has this nature, but also animals have this nature. There is no difference. But nature man is good and the nature of animals is not good. Man can know morality, animals cannot know morality. ")

Jing Ke

Jing Ke (荊軻; Jīng Kē) attempted an assassination attempt on the first emperor of China, Qin Shihuangdi (at that time still King Zhèng of Qin). However, the project failed. In the audience hall, Jing Ke threw a knife at the prince, but missed him. When he tried to run away, he was stopped by the guards and then killed by Zheng, the only one allowed to carry a weapon at court.

「风 潇潇 兮 ， 易水寒 ， 壮士 一去不复返。」

Fēng xiāo xiāo xī ， yì shuǐ hán ， zhuàng shì yī qù bù fù fǎn.
Despite the cutting wind and cold water of the Yi River, the hero walks and does not turn back.

You Fu

Du Fu (杜甫; * 712; † 770) was one of the most important poets of the Tang Dynasty and contemporary of Li Bai .

「國 破 山河 在。」

Guó pò shān hé zài.
The empire is destroyed, but mountains and rivers persist.
(Beginning of the poem 春 望 Chunwang, which Du Fu wrote after the disastrous An Lushan rebellion, which resulted in the last 15 years of his life in constant restlessness. 36 million people are said to have died during the uprising. )

Confucius

Traditional image of Confucius (Kǒng Zǐ 孔子)

Confucius , Kǒng Zǐ (孔子, "Master Kong"; 551 BC to 479 BC) was the philosopher after whom Confucianism is named. The central value of his teachings was order, which, in his opinion, could be achieved through respect for other people and ancestor worship. The focus of his thinking was the “noble” (君子 junzi), a morally impeccable person.

「父母 在 ， 不 遠遊。」

Fù mǔ zài, bù yuǎn yóu.
(As long as the parents are alive, you should not travel far. - Analects 4.19)

「敬 鬼神 而 遠 之。」

Jìng guǐ shén ér yuǎn zhī.
Watch the spirits and stay away from them.
(Confucius answer on how to deal with spirits. Analects, 6.22)

「三人 行 ， 必有 我 師 焉。」

Sān rén xíng, bì yǒu wǒ shī yan.
If three people leave, one of them has to be my teacher. (Analects, 7.22)

「學 而不 思 則 罔 ， 思 而不 學 則 殆。」

Xué ér bù sī zé wǎng, sī ér bù xué zé dài.
Learning without thinking is free. Thinking without learning is daring. (Analects, 2.15)

「學 而 時 習 之 ， 不 亦 悅 乎？。」

Xué ér shí xí zhī, bù yì yuè hū?
Learning and using it from time to time, isn't that a great joy?
(First sentence of the analects, which illustrates the importance of learning in Confucianism.)

「有 朋 自 遠方 來 ， 不亦樂乎？。」

Yǒu péng zì yuǎn fāng lái, bù yì yuè hū?
"When a friend comes from far away, isn't that a pleasure too?"
(Second movement of the analects)

「子曰 ： 為 政 以 德 ， 譬如 北辰 ， 居 其所 而 眾星 共 之。」

Zǐ yuē: Wéi zhèng yǐ dé, pì rú běichén, jū qí suǒ ér zhòng xīng gòng zhī.
(The ruler is said to be like the Pole Star . He stays in one place while all the stars revolve around him. Analects 2.1)

「子貢 問 曰 ： 有 一 言 而 可以 終身 行 之 者 乎？ 子曰 ： 其 恕 乎！ 己 所 不欲 不欲 勿 勿 施 於 人。」

Zǐ Gòng wèn yuē: yǒu yī yán ér kě yǐ zhōng shēn xing zhī zhě hū? Zǐ yuē: Qí shù hū! Jǐ ​​suǒ bù yù, wù shī yū rén. :( Zi Gong asked: Is there a word by which one can orient one's whole life? The master said: Yes. Reciprocity. What you don't want, don't do that to anyone else either. - Chinese formulation of the Golden Rule ; Analects 15:24)

L.

Laozi

Laozi (老子, Old Master) is a legendary philosopher who lived in the 6th century BC. Should have lived. He is considered the founder of Daoism . The Dàodéjīng, the most influential Daoist text, is ascribed to him.

「道 可 道 ﹐ 非常 道。」

Dào kě dào, fēi cháng dào.
"Could we show the way, / It would not be an eternal way."
(From the Daodejing , translation by Günther Debon )

「鄰國 相望 ﹐ 雞犬 之 聲 相 聞 ﹐ 民 至 老死 ﹐ 不 相 往來。」

Lín guó xiāng wàng ﹐ jī quǎn zhī shēng xiāng wén ﹐ mín zhì lǎo sǐ ﹐ bù xiāng wǎng lái.
(One can see the neighboring country from afar, / The roosters are, the dogs can still be heard; / The people get old, and when they die, / Still there was no one who found their way to the neighbor. Daodejing, 80, translation by Günther Debon)

「千里 之 行 ﹐ 始於 足下。」

Qiān lǐ zhī xing, shǐ yū zú xià.
(A journey of a thousand miles / starts under your foot. Daodejing, 64, translation by Günther Debon)

「三十 輻 ﹐ 共 一 轂 ﹐ 當 其 無 ﹐ 有 車 之 用。」

Sān shí fú ﹐ gòng yī gǔ ﹐ dāng qí wú ﹐ yǒu chē zhī yòng.
(The spokes three times ten / Stand on a hub. / Exactly where they are not / Is the car useful. Daodejing, 80, translation by Günther Debon)

「不 貴 難得 之 貨 ﹐ 使 民 不 為 盜。」

Bù guì nán dé zhī huò ﹐ shǐ mín bù wéi dào.
(Those who do not value the goods that are difficult to obtain / ensure that the people do not become robbers. Daodejing, 3, translation by Günther Debon)

Lei Feng

Lei Feng (雷鋒) (* 1940; † 1962) was a soldier in the People's Liberation Army, who, due to his selflessness and modesty, was promoted by Mao Zedong as a model worker during the Cultural Revolution in the People's Republic of China.

「这 是 我 应该 做 的。」

Zhè shì wǒ yīnggāi zuòde.
I have to do that.
(Example of Lei Feng's selflessness. In 1963 Mao initiated a socialist education campaign " Learning from Comrade Lei Feng " (向 雷锋 同志 学习, xiàng Léi Fēng tóngzhì xuéxí). At this point he had been dead for a year, so the danger of that Lei Feng could still develop in an undesirable direction.)

Li Bai

Li Bai (李白; * 701; † 762) is next to Dù Fǔ (杜甫) the most famous lyric poet of the Tang period .

「床前明月光, 疑 是 地上 霜, 舉 頭 望 明月, 低頭 思 故鄉。」

Chuáng qián míng yuè guāng, yí shì dì shàng shuāng, jǔ tóu wàng míng yuè, dī tóu sī gù xiāng.
In front of my bed I see moonlight / as if the ground were covered with snow. / I look up to the moon, which looks above, / thinking of home my head sinks.
(Beginning of the famous poem “ Night Thoughts ”静夜思, one of the most popular poems from the collection of the Three Hundred Tang Poems , which is still often quoted today. Translation by Alfred Forke )

Li Youyuan

Li Youyuan was a farmer from northern Shaanxi Province .

「东方 红。」

Dōngfāng hóng
The east is red.
(Beginning of the Chinese hymn The East is Red , a song of praise to Mao Zedong , which during the Cultural Revolution almost assumed the status of a national anthem and after which the People's Republic of China named its first satellite Dongfanghong . The first two verses are:
东方 红 ， 太阳 升 ， / 中国 出 了 个 毛泽东。 Dōngfāng hóng, tàiyáng shēng, / Zhōngguó chū liǎo ge Máo Zédōng. -
The east is red, the sun rises, / China produced Mao Zedong.)

Lu Xun

Lu Xun

Lu Xun ( Chinese  魯迅  /  鲁迅 , * 1881 in Shaoxing , † 1936 in Shanghai ) was a writer and intellectual of the May Fourth Movement , which participated in the Baihua movement, a reform movement for literary genre and style.

「革命 是 要 人生 ， 不是 要 人死！。」

Gémíng shi yào rén shēng, bù shi yào rén sǐ!
The revolution wants people to live, it doesn't want people to die.

「横眉冷对 千夫 指, 俯首 甘 为 孺子牛。」

Hèngméi lěngduì qiān fū zhǐ, fǔshǒu gānwéi rúzǐ niú.
Defying a thousand fingers, I bow my head gently to the children.

Luo Guanzhong

Luo Guanzhong (羅貫中 / 罗贯中; * around 1330; † 1400) was the author of the popular novel Shuǐhǔzhuàn 水浒传, which is known in German under the translation of Franz Kuhn as The Robbers of Liang-Schan-Moor .

「四海 之 内 皆 兄弟。」

Sìhǎi zhī nèi jiē xiōngdì.
Within the four seas all are brothers.
(This quote is also the title of the English translation of the novel, which is translated either as Water Margin , Outlaws of the Marsh or All Men Are Brothers .)

M.

Mao Zedong

Mao Zedong (毛泽东 or Mao Tse-tung; * 1893, † 1976) was a co-founder of the People's Republic of China .

「百花齊放 ， 百家爭鳴。」

Bǎihuā qífàng, bǎijiā zhēngmíng.
Let a hundred flowers bloom, let a hundred schools compete!
(Slogan with which he started the Hundred Flower Movement . Mao used this famous phrase in a closed speech to a group of party leaders. The number hundred is to be read as a synonym for a large number.)

「你 办事 ， 我 放心。」

Nǐ bàn shì, wǒ fàngxīn.
When you have matters in hand, I am reassured.
Words that Mao is said to have addressed to Hua Guofeng . This saying is used ironically today, as Hua Guofeng is not considered a successful politician.

「一切 反动派 都是 纸老虎。」

Yīqiè fǎndòngpài dōu shì zhǐ lǎohǔ.
"All reactionaries are paper tigers ."
(In conversation with the American correspondent Anna Louise Strong , 1946. Mao coined this expression, which is also used in German, in the sense of a person who gives himself or herself to be powerful, an organization or documents that, on closer inspection, actually do not Have meaning or power or incapacitate oneself.)

「枪杆子 里面 出 政权。」

Qiānggǎnzǐ lǐmiàn chū zhèngquán.
Political power comes from the barrel of a gun.
(From the so-called Mao Bible , Chapter 2. Mao came to the insight early on that the communists had no chance in China in the civil war.)

「为人民服务。」

Wéi rénmín fúwù.
"Serving the People"
(This phrase is associated with the respected Prime Minister Zhou Enlai , even if it comes from Mao Zedong.)

「愚公移山。」

Yú gōng yí shān.
" Yu Gong moves mountains."
(In ancient China there lived an old man named Yu Gong ("Fool's Age"), on whose doorstep were two large mountains that he wanted to remove together with his sons.)

Meng Haoran

Meng Haoran (孟浩然) (* 689 or 691; † 740) was a poet of the Tang Dynasty, who is often mentioned together with the poet Wang Wei, with whom he was friends.

「花落 知多少。」

Huā là zhī duō shǎo
Do I know how many flowers fell?
(Last verse of the poem 春 暁 Chūnxiǎo = spring awakening, the entire text of which reads as follows:
春眠不覺曉 處處 聞 啼鳥 / 夜來 風雨聲 花落 知多少
Chūn mián bù jué xiǎo, chù chù wén tí niǎo / Yè lái fēng yǔ shēng, huā là zhī duō shǎo
In the spring I woke up suddenly, I heard birds chirping everywhere / In the night there was wind and noise, do I know how many flowers have fallen?)

Menzius

Mengzi (孟子, Latinized Menzius; around 370 BC; † around 290 BC, was the most important successor of Confucius ).

「君子 有 三 樂 而 王天下 不 與 存焉。」

Jūnzi yǒu sān lè ér wáng tiānxià bù yú cún yān.
There are three things the noble enjoy; ruling the world is not one of them.
(The three things the noble one delights in are
1. that his parents are still alive and that his siblings are not a cause for concern,
2. that he does not have to be ashamed of nature and people,
3. that he has the most talented students.)

Mozi

Mozi (墨子 "Master Mo"), also called Mo Di, lived in the late 5th century BC. BC and was the founder and namesake of Mohism (墨家 mòjiā), a school of Chinese philosophy.

「兼愛。」

Jiān ài
general charity
("If subjects and sons do not show filial piety to their princes and fathers, then this is called confusion. [...] If even the father has no loving attitude towards his son, the elder towards his younger brother, or the prince towards his subject, so this is also a condition called disorder in the empire. [...] And when the dignitaries bring their families into disorder and the liege princes fight each other, then it is the same. [...] All cases of confusion in the empire are included And if one examines what their reason is, it is always the lack of mutual love. ")

「視 人 之 國 若 視 其 國 ， 視 人 之 家 若 視 其 家 ， 視 人 之 身 若 視 其 身。」

Shì rén zhī guó ruò shì qí guó, shì rén zhī jiā ruò shì qí jiā, shì rén zhī shēn ruò shì qí shēn.
'When you look at other states like your own and other families like your own and other people like yourself

Q

Qin Shihuangdi

Qin Shihuangdi ("first exalted god emperor of Qin"; 秦始皇 帝), (* 259 BC; † 210 BC) was the founder of the Chinese Empire and is still one of the most well-known Far Eastern rulers in western cultures.

「天下 ​​共 苦 戰鬥 不休 ， 以 有 侯王。 賴 宗廟 ， 天下 初定 ， 又 復 立國 ， 是 樹 兵 也 也 ， 而 求 其 寧 息 ， 豈不 難 哉！。」

Tiānxià gòng kǔ zhàndòu bù xiū, yǐ yǒu hóu wáng. Lài zōng miào, tiānxià chū dìng, yòu fù lì guó, shì shù bīng yě, ér qiú qí níng xī, qǐ bù nán zāi!
The whole empire suffers if the fighting doesn't stop ...

Qu yuan

Qu Yuan (屈原) (approx. 340–278 BC) from the time of the Warring States is considered China's first historically tangible poet personality. Because of his political opinion, he is said to have been dismissed from office and is said to have drowned himself in the Miluo River after years of wandering in exile . However, it can only be proven that Qu Yuan is the author of the Lísāo 離騷 ("Mourning after the separation"), a long lamentation poem that was exemplary for later Chinese literature. In the Lísāo Qu Yuan tells how he was cast out by his prince and how he went on a long journey. The Dragon Boat Festival is celebrated annually in honor of Qu Yuan , as it is said that the residents of the Miluo River, in which Qu Yuan is said to have drowned, got into their dragon boats to save him.

「帝 高 陽 之 苗裔 兮 ， 朕 皇考 曰 伯 庸。」

Dì gāo yáng zhī miáo yì xī, zhèn huáng kǎo yuē bó yōng.
I am a prince from a noble family ...

S.

Sushi

Su Shi (蘇 軾) (* 1037; † 1101) was a poet, painter, calligrapher and politician of the Chinese Song Dynasty. He is better known by his nickname Su Dongpo (蘇東坡), which he gave himself to indicate that he lived on a farm on the east bank during his exile in Hubei (Dongpo Jushi 東坡 居士).

「明月幾時有？ 把酒 問 青天。」

Míng yuè jǐ shí yǒu? bà jiǔ wèn qīng tiān.
How often is there the bright moon? I pick up the wine and ask the blue sky.
(From the song Shuǐ diào gē tóu)

Sun Yatsen

Sun Yat-sen mausoleum near Nanjing with the inscription 天下為公 - Tiānxià wéi gōng above the central passage

Sun Yat-sen ( Chinese  孫逸仙  /  孙逸仙 , Pinyin Sūn Yìxiān ; * 1866; † 1925) was the founder of the Kuomintang and the first provisional president of the Republic of China . In the People's Republic of China, as in the Republic of China (Taiwan) , he is revered as the founder of modern China. He developed a political philosophy known as the Three Principles of the People (三民主義 Sānmínzhǔyì). San Min Chu-i is the national anthem of the Republic of China, the first two verses of which read as follows:

「三民主義 ， 吾 黨 所 宗 ， 以 建 民國 ， 以 進 大同。」

Sānmín Zhǔyì, wú dǎng suǒ zōng, Yǐ jiàn Mínguó, yǐ jìn Dàtóng.
The three popular principles, the goal of our party. With that we build the republic, with that we achieve world peace.
(The song is banned in the People's Republic of China. When President Chen Shui-bian took office in 2000, the well-known singer A-Mei Chang sang the anthem and was banned from performing in China for several months.)

「革命 尚未 成功 ， 同志 仍需 努力。」

Gémíng shàng wèi chénggōng, tóngzhì réngxū nǔlì.
The revolution is not yet complete, comrades, we must keep working hard.

「天下為公。」

Tiānxià wéi gōng.
The world ( Tianxia ) belongs to everyone.
(Motto written on the Sun Yat-sens mausoleum in Nanjing . It is originally from the Book of Rites (Li Ji), but was adapted by Kang Youwei and Sun Yatsen.)

Sunzi

The art of war as a bamboo book from the Qianlong era

Sunzi (孙子 / 孫子 "Master Sun", actually: 孙武 Sūn Wŭ; * around 500 BC) was a general and military strategist. His book " The Art of War " (孫子兵 法 Sūnzǐ bīngfǎ - Sunzis Martial Arts) is considered to be the earliest book on strategy and is still one of the most important on this topic to this day.

「兵 者 ， 詭 道 也。」

Bīngzhě, guǐ dào yě.
"Warfare is based on deception."
(From the first chapter of 孫子兵 法 Sunzi's Art of War. Sunzi dispenses with long chains of arguments and presents his views in the form of aphorisms . Sunzi's book is said to have been the basis for Mao Zedong's war strategies and required reading for the politico-military hierarchy of the Soviet Union it is mainly used in management.)

「風 林 火山。」

Fēng lín huǒ shān.
"Wind, forest, fire, mountain."
(This phrase was embroidered as Fūrinkazan on the standard of the Japanese daimyo Takeda Shingen .
風 Fast as the wind
林 As quiet as the forest
火 Defeat like fire
山 As constant as a mountain
It's an abbreviated quote from Sunzi's Art of War .)

T

Tan Daoji

Tan Daoji (檀 道 濟); († 436) was a high-ranking general of the Chinese Southern Song Dynasty. The 36 stratagems are attributed to him, a collection of stratagems that are common property in China.

「隔岸觀火。」

Gé àn guān huǒ
Watch the fire on the opposite bank.
(List No. 9, which recommends refraining from taking any action until the situation has developed to your own advantage.)

「借刀殺人。」

Jiè dāo shā rén.
To kill with someone else's knife.
(List # 3 that says it may be better to wage a proxy war or use a straw man.)

「走 為 上策。」

Zǒu wéi shàng cè.
(Running away is the best strategy. That is to say, if the other 35 lists fail, the 36th list, running away, is the best strategy. This stratagem is usually represented with 三十六計 ， 走 為 上策.)

Tao Yuanming

Tao Yuanming (陶淵明) or Tao Qian (陶潛); * 365 or 372; † 427, was a famous Chinese poet during the Eastern Jin Dynasty.

「晉 太 元 中 ， 武陵 人 捕魚 為 業 ， 緣 溪 行 ， 忘 路 之 遠近。」

Jùn Tàiyuán zhōng, Wǔlíngrén bǔ yú wéi yè, yuán xī xíng, wàng lù zhī yuǎn jìn.
In the Jin Dynasty, during the reign of the "Highest Primeval Beginning" (376 - 396), a fisherman once drove up the river in his boat without paying much attention to how far the path led him.
(The Wondrous Tale of Peach Blossom Spring 桃花源 記 is one of Tao's most famous works:
A fisherman from Wuling rowed up a river and found himself in a peach grove, where happy people welcomed and entertained him. Her ancestors withdrew here as early as the Qin times . They have lived here in peace ever since. They asked the fisherman not to tell anyone about their existence. Of course, no one could find access to the paradise later.)

A thousand-character classic

Zhou Xingsi (周興嗣) (* 470, † 521) compiled the thousand-character classic , a book for elementary education in ancient China. The text consists of exactly one thousand characters in the form of a poem, divided into 250 verses of 4 characters each.

「天地 玄 黃。」

Tiān dì xuán huáng.
"Heaven and earth are dark and yellow"
(First movement of the thousand-character classic)

Tian Han

Tian Han (田漢; * 1898, † 1968), was a writer, known for his dramas, operas and film manuscripts. His poem " March of the Volunteers " was used as the text for the Chinese national anthem.

「起來！ 不願 做奴隸 的 人們！ / 把 我們 的 血肉 ， 築 成 我們 新 的 長城！。」

Qǐlái! Búyuàn zuò núlì dí rénmen! / Bǎ wǒmen de xuèròu zhùchéng wǒmen xīn de chángchéng!
Stands up! Everyone who doesn't want to be slaves anymore! / Let us build the new wall out of our flesh and blood.
(Due to the encrypted criticism contained in his works, Tian Han was arrested at the beginning of the Cultural Revolution and died in prison. The March of the Volunteers was temporarily no longer played.)

W.

Wang Wei

Wang Wei (王维 / 王維) (* approx. 698; † 759 or 761) was a poet, painter, musician and statesman of the Tang Dynasty .

「每逢 佳節 倍 思 親。」

Měi féng jiā jié bèi sī qīn.
At every festival you think twice about family
(From the poem 九月 九日 憶 山東 兄弟. Chinese people like to quote this verse when they are away from their families on major Chinese holidays. In this case, Wang Wei thinks of his brothers back home on the 9th day of the Chinese month. )

Wang Xizhi

Orchid pavilion

Wang Xizhi (王羲之; * 307; † 365) is the most important Chinese calligrapher. His most famous work is the foreword to the collection of poems on the orchid pavilion , which had a decisive influence on Chinese calligraphy and which today is only preserved in copies.

「後 之 視 今 ， 亦由 今 之 視 昔。。」

Hòu zhī shì jīn, yì yóu jīn zhī shì xí.
When future generations look back on our time, it will be like looking back on the past.
(This foreword to the orchid pavilion describes a meeting of artists and scholars for a festive exchange of ideas.)

Wu Han

Wu Han (吳 晗; † 1969) was a member of the Communist Party and commissioned by Mao Zedong to write an article about the Ming temporal official Hai Rui , who had allowed himself to criticize the Jiajing emperor and was dismissed for it.

「海瑞 罷官。」

Hǎi Ruì bà guān.
Hai Rui is released.
(The article turned into a successful play that Mao Zedong viewed as a personal criticism and ultimately led to Wu Hans Sturz. The Cultural Revolution began in November 1965 with an essay in which the literary critic Yao Wenyuan declared the play deviant .)

X

Xunzi

Xunzi (* approx. 298 BC; † approx. 220 BC) was a philosopher during the Warring States Period. In contrast to Mengzi, who taught that man is naturally good (性善 説 xìngshànshuō), he took the view that man is naturally evil (性惡 説 xìng'ĕshuō).

「人 之 性 、 惡 ； 其 善 ， 偽 也。」

Rén zhī xìng è; qí shàn wěi yě.
Man's character is bad, his good points are made.

Y

Yelü Chucai

Yelü Chucai (耶律楚材) († 1243) was a high official at the time of Genghis Khan and Ugedai Khan. He achieved the revival of social life in northern China and organized the Mongolian state.

"You can raise taxes on land and trade, but you can also make a profit with wine, salt, iron, and the produce of the mountains and swamps. That way you can make 500,000 ounces of silver, 80,000 bales of silk, and 400,000 sacks of grain in a single year." How can one say that the Chinese are of no use to you! "

Yue Fei

Calligraphy: " Give me back rivers and mountains! "

Yue Fei (岳飛, * 1103, † 1142, executed) was a folk hero and military leader of the Song Dynasty , which at that time had to fight hard for its existence.

「還 我 河山。」

Huán wǒ hé shān.
Give us back rivers and mountains!
(Yue Fei - an advocate for the reconquest of China - was arrested and executed in prison as a prerequisite for the peace treaty.)

Z

Zhao Gao

Zhao Gao was the chief adviser to the second Qin emperor.

「指鹿為馬。」

Zhǐ lù weí mǎ
Point to the deer and pretend to be a horse
(Zhao Gao tried to gain full control of the government and tested the officials' loyalty by bringing a deer and labeling it a horse. The officials who refused to label the deer a horse were eliminated.)

Zhou Chongguo

Zhou Chongguo was a general in the Western Han Dynasty.

「百闻不如一见。」

Bǎi wén bù rú yī jiàn.
Hearing a hundred times is not as good as seeing once.
General Zhou Chongguo's answer to Emperor Xuandi's question how many soldiers he would need to repel an invasion of the northern barbarians.
(Today this quote is mainly used by travel agencies.)

Zhuangzi

Zhuangzi (庄子 / 莊子; approx. 365-290 BC), Master Zhuang was a Daoist philosopher and writer, whose personal name was Zhuang Zhou.

「莊周 夢蝶。」

Zhuāng Zhōu mèng dié
Zhuang Zhou dreamed that he was a butterfly.
(The best-known parable of Zhuangzi is the so-called " butterfly dream ":
昔者 莊周 夢 為 胡蝶 ， 蘧 蘧 然 莊周 也 ， 自喻 適 志 與！ 不知 蝶 也。 俄 然 覺 ， 則 則 栩栩 然 蝶 也。 不知 不知 蝶 之 夢 為 莊周 與 ， 莊周 之 夢 為 蝶 與？ 蝶 與莊周 ， 則必 有分 矣。 此之谓 物化。
Xi zhe Zhuang Zhou meng wei hudie, xuxu ran hudie ye. Zi yu shi zhi yu! Bu zhi Zhou ye. Eran jue, ze pengpeng ran Zhou ye. Bu zhi Zhou zhi meng wei hudie yu? Hudie zhi meng ei Zhou yu. Zhou yu hudie ze bi you fen yi. Ci zhi wei wu hua.
" Zhuang Zhou once dreamed and became a fluttering butterfly, cheerful and conforming to his request. He did not know anything about Zhuang Zhou. When he suddenly woke up, Zhuang Zhou was fully there. Now it is not known whether Zhuang Zhou is a butterfly in a dream becomes, or a butterfly in a dream becomes a Zhuang Zhou. If there is a Zhuang Zhou and a butterfly, then there must be a difference between them. This is called the change of things. ")
(Hudie meng is a standing term in Chinese and has spread beyond the country. This parable also seems to have influenced the Argentine writer Jorge Luis Borges .)

Others

「日出而作 ， 日入而息 ； 鑿井 而 飲 ， 耕田 而 食 ； 帝 力 何 有 於 我 哉？」

「Rì chū ér zuò, rì rù ér xī; záo jǐng ér yǐn, gēng tián ér shí; dì lì hé yǒu yú wǒ zāi? 」

"The sun rises and we work, the sun goes down and we rest, we dig the well and drink, we till the field and eat, the emperor's power, what is that to us?"

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