When I first moved into geocities, I created the Asian Proverb page with some trepidation. Would anyone even want to see? Could I even maintain such a page for more than 6 months? Luckly, the answer to both questions is yes. Though not wildly popular, my proverb page has developed a loyal following. And yes, I still have many more to go! I also believe that this page remains rather unique in Geocites. The number of proverbs I have had on the proverb page has grown quite sizeable, this page is a result. I do not have all of the proverbs, since when I first started, I didn't always save the gif's from week to week.
I apologize for the poor quality of some of the older gifs. Creating the files used was a learning process for me! Also, because of the very nature of this page, loading time might be longer than most my other pages. For this, I also apologize.
Language: Korean
Translation: Without legs, a word can travel 1000 miles.
English equivalent: Gossip spreads fast!
Explaination: none.
Date first posted: September 7, 1996
Language: Korean Translation: If you speak during the day, the birds hear you, if you speak during the night, the mice hear you.
English equivalent: The walls have ears.
Explaination: none
Date first posted: October 1, 1996
Language: Korean
Translation: A habit learned at three persists when you are eighty.
English equivalent: You can't teach an old dog new tricks.
Explaination: none
Date first posted: October 15, 1996
Language: Korean
Translation: Frogs don't remember when they were tadpoles.
English equivalent: When you are experienced, you often forget what it was like to be a beginner.
Explaination: none
Date first posted: October 29, 1996
Language: Korean
Translation: The inlaw talks like a stranger!
English equivalent: Look who's talking!
Explaination: none
Date first posted: November 12, 1996
Language: Chinese/Japanese and Korean
Translation: One stone, 2 birds.
English equivalent: Thats like killing 2 birds with one stone.
Explaination: none
Date first posted: December 10, 1996
Language: Chinese/Japanese and Korean
Translation: One laugh, One young.
English equivalent: Be happy!
Explaination: The more you luagh, the younger you will be. It is interesting to note that although the Chinese characters for laugh and young are different, they are both pronounced the same in Korean.
Date first posted: December 24, 1996? is my guess.
Language: Korean
Translation: Without bottom or end.
English equivalent: Is there no end to your questions!
Explaination: none
Date first posted: January 7, 1997
Language: Korean
Translation: A big frog in a little pool.
English equivalent: A man of narrow outlook.
Explaination:none
Date first posted: January 21, 1997
Language: Korean
Translation: It's not easy to topple a tower.
English equivalent: Hard work is never wasted.
Explaination: none.
Date first posted: February 4, 1997
Language: Korean
Translation:A picture of duk. English equivalent: It is beyond reach, It is a desire that can never be satisfied.
Explaination: Duk is a rice cake often used in soups. This suggests that you cannot eat a picture of a Duk.
Date first posted: February 18, 1997
Language: Korean
Translation: If you were told a kiok looked like a sickle you still wouldn't know.
English equivalent: You're stupid! (illiterate)
Explaination:Kiok is the first letter of the korean alphabet, and looks like this:
so it can
be identified with a sickle.Date first posted: March 4, 1997
Language: Tagalog
Translation: Of what use is grass if the horse is dead.
English equivalent: none
Explaination: none
Date first posted: March 18, 1997
Language: Korean
Translation: Beejee duk is cheap.
English equivalent: You get what you pay for!
Explaination: Beejee duk is duk made from bean curd dregs (beejee), and is considered to be inferior to other duk.
Date first posted: April 29, 1997
Language: Korean
Translation: the belly button is bigger than the belly.
English equivalent: none
Explaination: This suggests that something secondary or incidental is much larger than the main thing. This is usually used in reference to financial matters.
Date first posted: May 13, 1997
Language: Korean
Translation: A journey of 1000miles begins with one step.
English equivalent: same
Explaination: none
Date first posted: May 27, 1997
Language: Korean
Translation: Thats just like locking the stable door after the cow has been stolen.
English equivalent: much the same.
Explaination: none
Date first posted: June 10, 1997
Language: Korean
Translation: You're a chatterer!
English equivalent:much the same
Explaination: Of interest, the first word, Jae Jar Jae Jar is one of many Korean words that are used to describe a certain sound, in this case, useless chatter.
Date first posted: July 8, 1997
Language: Korean
Translation: If a lot of dust gathers, it could make a high mountain.
English equivalent: Many a little makes a mickle.
Explaination: none
Date first posted: July 22, 1997
Language: Chinese
Translation: If you sup with the devil, you better have a long spoon.
English equivalent: same
Explaination: none
Date first posted: August 19, 1997
Language: Chinese
Translation: Life has an ending, but the quest for knowledge does not.
English equivalent: none.
Explaination: Thanks Jane, for providing this translation!
Date first posted: August 26, 1997
Language: Korean
Translation: It takes more than pearls to make the necklace.
English equivalent: It's how you finish your work that is important.
Explaination: none
Date first posted: September 9, 1997
Language: Korean
Translation: The darkest place is under the candle.
English equivalent: You must go abroad to hear news of home.
Explaination: none
Date first posted: September 30, 1997
Language: Korean
Translation: There is no smoke in the chimney unless there is a fire.
English equivalent: Where there is smoke, there's fire!
Explaination: none
Date first posted: October 14, 1997
Language: Korean
Translation: When the whale fights, the lobster gets hurt.
English equivalent: Innocent bystanders always get hurt.
Explaination: none
Date first posted: October 28, 1997
Language: Korean
Translation: He who steals a needle will steal an ox.
English equivalent: none
Explaination: none
Date first posted: November 4, 1997
Language: Korean
Translation: Even if the sky should fall, there will be a hole that we can go through.
English equivalent: There is always hope.
Explaination: For the man of ancient times, there was probably nothing more scary than the thought that the sky might fall, blanketing everything.
Date first posted: November 15, 1997
Language: Korean
Translation: Plucking a star from the heavens
English equivalent: It is a difficult thing to do.
Explaination: none
Date first posted: December 9, 1997
Language: Korean
Translation: No matter how busy you are, you can't stand up if you are sewing your pants.
English equivalent: Everything must be done in its proper order.
Explaination: none
Date first posted: December 23, 1997
Language: Korean
Translation: Make sure, even if you know the directions!
English equivalent: Don't be afraid to ask.
Explaination: none
Date first posted: January 6, 1998
Language: Korean
Translation: The person who sells the rice cakes has not even considered giving them yet, and you want to drink the kimchi soup.
English equivalent: Don't count your chickens before they hatch.
Explaination: Kimchi soup is usually eaten with rice cakes, to eat it before you have them would be premature.
Date first posted: January 20, 1998
Language: Korean
Translation: A person (stranger) nearby is better than a far away relative.
English equivalent: none
Explaination: none
Date first posted: February 3, 1998
Language: Korean
Translation: Does the woman who leaves (runs away from) her family (husband) really think she will better herself?
English equivalent: The grass is always greener on the other side.
Explaination: none
Date first posted: February 17, 1998
Language: Korean
Translation: If you abandon the short path, then you take the long way.
English equivalent: Some people need to find out for themselves.
Explaination: This proverb is saying that if you are unwilling to listen and learn from the experience of others, you will have to learn the hard way.
Date first posted: March 3, 1998
Language: Korean
Translation: You cannot change your natural disposition.
English equivalent: none
Explaination: none
Date first posted: March 17, 1998
Language: Korean
Translation: There aren't any people above other people, there aren't any people below other people.
English equivalent: Everybody is equal.
Explaination: People want the government to be held accountable to the same rules as them.
Date first posted: March 31, 1998
Language: Korean
Translation: Grandma Mago says, "If you sense an itch the best thing to do is scratch it."
English equivalent: None
Explaination: Grandma Mago is the name of a chinese wise women from ancient legends. This proverb says that even if it isn't said out loud, you should be able to sense when there is a problem, and it should be addressed.
Date first posted: April 14, 1998
Language: Korean
Translation: If you want someone elses wages you must also take their discipline.
English equivalent: You need to take the bad with the good.(?)
Explaination: This is saying that if you want to have someone elses wages, you also have to take on the responsibilities that come with the job.
Date first posted: April 28, 1998
Language: Korean
Translation: The pig tries to appear hard working.
English equivalent: You need to look the part.
Explaination: When I first heard this proverb, I thought it to be very prejudicial. It basically says that since a pig is so fat, no one will every believe he is hard working. Of course, I was wrong, I had not looked deeply enough. The meaning of this struck me one day at work. There is someone in another department who basically "runs the show". However, he dresses sloppy, has a ponytail and shaves about twice a week. I don't have any problems with this myself, but he can get no recognition for his work, and will never be able to advance in his department because of the way he looks. This is the deeper meaning of this proverb, not just being fat, but anything that alters others' perception of you.
Date first posted: May 12, 1998
Language: Korean
Translation: The sparrow can never know the goose.
English equivalent: It takes a hero to know a hero.
Explaination: none
Date first posted: May 26, 1998
Language: Korean
Translation: If you have something, it isn't necessarily bad.
English equivalent: none.
Explaination:This is saying that it is okay to be a "packrat". Often times something that you save will have a use later on.
Date first posted: June 9, 1998
Language: Korean
Translation: The tiger pounces.
English equivalent: Survival of the fittest
Explaination: This proverb suggests that since the tiger is strong and powerful, he will always win against a weaker opponent.
Date first posted: June 23, 1998
Language: Korean
Translation:No matter how sharp the blade is, a knife can still rust.
English equivalent:none
Explaination:This is saying that no matter how powerful, or how much influence with the government a person has, if the are guily of wrongdoing, they will eventually be punished.
Date first posted: July 21, 1998
Language: Korean
Translation: If you raise your child without discipline (lit:If you raise your child with adoration) when they meet a disciplined person, they will be unable to stand the sight of that person.
English equivalent:Spare the rod, spoil the child.
Explaination: none
Date first posted:August 4, 1998
Language: Korean
Translation: A very hard wood will break
English equivalent: none
Explaination: this is saying that an inflexable man will bring himself to ruin.
Date first posted: August 18, 1998
Language: Korean
Translation: You hate others who are the same as yourself.
English equivalent: It is like the pot calling the kettle black.
Explaination: none
Date first posted: September 01, 1998
Language: Korean
Translation: Think nine times and then speak only once.
English equivalent: none.
Explaination: none.
Date first posted: September 15, 1998
Language: Korean
Translation: Children and dogs will follow whoever is nice to them.
English equivalent: none
Explaination: none
Date first posted: September 29, 1998
Language: Korean
Translation: As dumb as a borrowed barley bag.
English equivalent: none
Explaination:This is used to refer to a person that is sitting around while everyone else is having a good time.
Date first posted: October 27, 1998
Language: Korean
Translation: Money is the enemy.
English equivalent: The love of money is the root of all evil.
Explaination:none
Date first posted: November 10, 1998
Language: Korean
Translation: When a person enters a temple they wish to be a monk.
English equivalent: none
Explaination: This is suggesting that a person is the product of their environment.
Date first posted: November 24, 1998
Language: Korean
Translation: Reading to a cows ear.
English equivalent: It goes in one ear and out the other.
Explaination: This proverb is saying the person isn't paying attention, what you are saying is going in one ear and out the other.
Date first posted: December 15, 1998
Language: Korean
Translation: To have experienced great hardships.
English equivalent: Come hell or high water.
Explaination:
literally means war in the mountains, war in the
water.Date first posted: December 29, 1998
Language: Korean
Translation: A silk dress is worth at least one meal.
English equivalent: none
Explaination: If a person hasn't eaten in many days, they would be willing to trade even an object of great value for one meal.
Date first posted: January 12, 1999
Language: Korean
Translation: As time goes by, there is a high mountain.
English equivalent: Out of the pan, and into the fire.
Explaination: none
Date first posted: January 26, 1999
Language: Korean
Translation: The beggar can't choose between cold and hot rice.
English equivalent: Beggars can't be choosers.
Explaination: none
Date first posted: February 09, 1999
Language: Korean
Translation: Snow on top of frost.
English equivalent: When it rains it pours.
Explaination: none
Date first posted: February 23, 1999
Language: Korean
Translation: Someone who has something is greedy for more.
English equivalent: The more you have the more you want.
Explaination: none
Date first posted: March 10, 1999
Language: Korean
Translation: A buddist temple mouse.
English equivalent: none
Explaination: A mouse that lives in a temple can do whatever it wants and no one will bother it. This is used to refer to a person that does whatever they want, that has no respect for athourity.
Date first posted: March 23, 1999
Language: Korean
Translation: If you try to save something it turns into waste.
English equivalent: none
Explaination:This refers to food or products rather than money. It is saying it is better to share or give away things that are no longer of use to you.
Date first posted: April 06, 1999
Language: Korean
Translation: You will only know how indebted you are to your parents after you have your own children.
English equivalent: none
Explaination: none
Date first posted: April 20, 1999
This page created Sunday, February 15, 1998 9:40PM
Last updated Tuesday, May 04, 1999 7:53PM
Bob Shumaker
bw2@oocities.com
Get your own Free home page