CHINESE PROVERBS T.C. LAI & Y. T. KWONG KELLY & WALSH LTD © HONGKONGCopyright 1970 by T. C. Lai & Y. T. Kwone Library of Congress Catalogue card No. 70 —149597 Printed in Hong Kong by Wing Tai Cheung Printing Co, Led FOREWORD Proverbs are tricky things. Like all witty sayings or those that contain a good deal of truth in very few words, they are often ambiguous, but nonetheless enjoy- able in their natural vehicle of expression. However, they are not always translatable; but when they are, the results are often very flat and do not any more deserve the name of proverb. The proverbs in the present collection are mostly translated from the original Chinese and every effort has been made for them to truly reflect various aspects of Chinese life, thought, and traditions. The reader’s enjoyment is much enhanced by the beautiful monotypes by Kwong Yeu Ting, who made them especially for this book. I have written some notes on them in an attempt to dispel any obscurity that may exist. These prints stand on their own as works of art, and I can only hope that readers will enjoy the proverbs as much as the prints! Grateful thanks are due to Dr. Amelia Sun & Dr. Vicki Ooi for reading through the draft and for valuable comments; and to Miss Susan Lam for typing out several drafts of the text, Chinese University ‘of Hong Kong November, 1970 T.C.Lai