-
The 50 most important English proverbs
What are proverbs?
Every culture has a collection of wise
sayings that offer
advice
about how to live your life.
These
sayings are called
How can you use
proverbs to learn English?
It's good to
know the really common English proverbs because
you hear them come up in
conversation
all the time. Sometimes people say the entire
proverb to give advice to a friend.
More often, someone will say just part
of a proverb like this:
You know what
they say: when the going gets tough...
(Read #5 below to learn the rest of
this proverb and what it means.)
Learning proverbs can also help you to
understand the way that people in English-speaking
cultures think about the world.
Proverbs can also give you good
example sentences
which you
can memorize and use as
models for
building your own sentences.
The most
important English Proverbs
This is a
list of some of the most important and well-known
English proverbs. Below each one,
there's a simple explanation.
The meanings of some of these phrases
have shifted over the years, so a proverb might
have
originally had a different meaning
than the one I explain.
Two wrongs
don't make a right
The meaning: When
someone has done something bad to you, trying to
get revenge will only
make things worse
做人应以德报怨，不应牙还牙
(by
morgan)
以下同上
The
pen is mightier than the sword
Trying
to convince people with ideas and words is more
effective than trying to force people to
do what you want.
好的沟通和想法相比强迫别人更能让人主动接受。
When in Rome, do as the Romans
Act the way that the people around you
are acting. This phrase might come in handy when
you're traveling abroad notice that
people do things differently than you're used to.
入乡随俗（
so
easy
）
The
squeak
y
（吱吱响）
wheel gets the
grease
（油脂、贿赂）
You
can
get
better
service
if
you
complain
about
something.
If
you
wait
patiently,
no
one's
going to
help you.
会哭的娃有奶吃
When
t
he goi
ng gets tough, the
tough get going.
Strong people don't
give up when they come across challenges. They
just work harder.
人要遇强则强
No man
is an
island
You
can't live completely independently. Everyone
needs help from other people.
没人可以孤立存在
Fortune favors the
bold(
大胆的，英勇的
)
People who bravely go after what they
want are more successful than people who try to
live
safely.
成功垂青勇敢的人
People
who live in glass houses should not throw stones.
Don't criticize other people if you're
not perfect yourself.
不要批评他人，因为你也不够好
Ho
pe for the
best
, but prepare for the worst
Bad things might happen, so be prepared
未雨绸缪
Be
tter late
than
never
It's best to do something on
time. But if you can't do it on time, do it late.
迟到的好总比没有好
Birds
of a
feath
er flock together
People like to spend time with others
who are similar to them.
物以类聚，人以群分
Keep
your friends
close and your ene
mies closer.
If you have an enemy, pretend to be
friends with them instead of openly fighting with
them.
That way you can watch them
carefully and figure out what they're planning.
比亲近你的朋友更亲近你的敌人
A picture is worth a thousand words
Pictures convey emotions and messages
better than written or
spoken
explanations. That's
why PhraseMix has
illustrations
一张图片胜过千言万语
There's
no such
t
hing as a free lunch.
Things that are offered for free always
have a hidden cost.
天下没有免费的午餐。
no pl
ace like
home.
Your own home is the most
comfortable place to be.
金窝银窝不如自己的狗窝
Discr
etion
（
审慎）
is the greater part of
valor
（英勇）
Sometimes
it's
important
to
know
when
to
give
up
and
run
away,
instead
of
always
acting
brave and maybe getting hurt.
避其锋芒，保存实力，才是真正勇者。
The
early bir
d
catches the worm
（虫）
.
You should wake up and start work early
if you want to succeed.
早起的鸟儿有虫吃
Never
loo
k a gift horse
in the
mouth
If someone offers you a gift,
don't question it.
不计较比人的馈赠。
You can't make an
omelet
（蛋卷）
without breaking
a few eggs
When
you try
to
do something great,
you'll probably
make a few people
annoyed or
angry.
Don't worry about
those people; just focus on the good results.
凡事不可避免，不如做的更好
Go
d help
s those
who help themselves
Don't just wait for
good things to happen to you. Work hard to achieve
your goals.
天助者自助。
Yo
u can't a
lways
get what you want.
Don't
whine
（抱怨、牢骚）
·
and complain if you don't get what you
wanted.
生活不会给你想要的一切，所以调整心态
leanliness is
next to godliness
Be clean. God likes
that.
保持干净，让自己更虔诚
A
watched pot
never
boils
（
very
important
）
If
something takes time to finish, don't watch it too
closely because it will seem like it's taking
forever.
心急吃不了热豆腐
Beggars
can't be choosers
If you're asking for a favor from
someone else, you have to take whatever they give
you.
人在屋檐下，哪有不低头