Sayings of Taiwanese origin
Proverbs from ROC ( Taiwanese proverbs)
A person is blessed once but troubles come many at once.
Water can help a boat float, but it can also sink it.
Want the horse to be hard working, but also don’t want it to eat hay.
A bird does not sing because it has an answer. It sings because it has a song.
A person needs a face, trees need bark.
Try to save a dead horse as if it was still living.
A fool judges people by the presents they give him.
Something that looks good does not necessarily taste good.
When weeding, if the roots aren’t removed then the weed will simply be able to grow again.
A beautiful person might not have a beautiful life.
Many students have become kings or queens, but no teachers have.
Some people prefer liquor, others prefer tofu, and some even like rotten salmon.
Man who wants pretty nurse, must be patient.
He who asks is a fool for five minutes, but he who does not ask remains a fool forever.
A husband and wife often fight intensely at one moment and then kiss intensely at the next moment.
If heaven made him, earth can find some use for him.
It takes sweat to work on things, but it only takes saliva to criticize things.
If the tree falls, the monkeys will run away.
If the wind comes from an empty cave, there is a reason.
Man who lives in glass house should change clothes in basement.
A drop of water shall be returned with a burst of spring
One day below 0 is not enough to make 3 feet of ice.
Greed will cause pain.
Poor people can change and succeed.
As long as you have the forest, you don’t have to worry about firewood.
If someone transports dung and does not eat it, it should not be concluded that he is an honest person.
One mouse dropping will ruin the whole pot of rice.
Luck changes every 10 years.
Be not afraid of growing slowly, be afraid only of standing still.
There’s no shame to ask questions, even to people below your status.
Even champions make mistakes — there is no one who doesn’t.
Ride a mule while you’re looking for a horse.
The Republic of China (ROC)
Taiwan is a state in East Asia. Its neighbours include China-The People’s Republic of China, PRC to the west, Japan to the northeast, and the Philippines to the south. Taiwan is the most populous state that is not a member of the United Nations, and also possesses the largest economy of any state outside of the UN. The island of Taiwan, also known as Formosa, was mainly inhabited by Taiwanese aborigines before the 17th century, when Dutch and Spanish colonies opened the island to Han Chinese immigration. ~ An Excerpt from Wikipedia page of Taiwan
Taipei is the capital city and a special municipality of the Republic of China sitting at the northern tip of the island.
Mandarin is the official national language and is spoken by the vast majority of the population of Taiwan. It has been the primary language of instruction in schools since the end of Japanese rule. As in Hong Kong and Macau, Traditional Chinese is used as the writing system in Taiwan.
The National Anthem of the Republic of China
The “March of the Volunteers”is the official Anthem of Taiwan
Lyrics ( English )
Arise, ye who refuse to be slaves!
With our flesh and blood, let us build our new Great Wall!
The Chinese nationality has come to its time of greatest danger,
Each person must send out a final roar.
Arise! Arise! Arise!
Our great masses are of one heart,
Braving the enemy’s gunfire, march on!
Braving the enemy’s gunfire, march on!
March on! March on! On!
Taiwanese Proverbs and Their Meanings
Taiwanese proverbs draw on a deep well of Chinese wisdom — Confucian, Buddhist and folk — alongside the island’s own Hokkien-speaking farming and seafaring culture. They favour perseverance, humility and the patient building of results over time. Here is what some of the most memorable of them mean.
- “He who asks is a fool for five minutes, but he who does not ask remains a fool forever.” — A moment’s embarrassment in asking is a small price for knowledge; false pride that will not admit ignorance keeps you ignorant for life.
- “Water can help a boat float, but it can also sink it.” — The very same force that supports you can destroy you. Classically it warns rulers that the people who raise them up can also bring them down.
- “Be not afraid of growing slowly, be afraid only of standing still.” — Steady, patient progress is nothing to fear; the real danger is stagnation, not slowness.
- “A bird does not sing because it has an answer. It sings because it has a song.” — Act from your own nature and joy rather than to prove a point or win a reward; some things are done for their own sake.
- “One day below zero is not enough to make three feet of ice.” — Great results are built by sustained effort over time; nothing solid is achieved in a single burst.
- “As long as you have the forest, you don’t have to worry about firewood.” — Protect the source and your needs will always be met; never exhaust the thing that provides for you.
- “A person needs a face, a tree needs bark.” — Dignity and reputation — “face” — are as essential to a person as bark is to a tree; lose them and you cannot stand.
- “If the tree falls, the monkeys will run away.” — When a powerful patron loses their position, the hangers-on who depended on them scatter at once.
- “Even champions make mistakes — there is no one who doesn’t.” — No one is infallible; skill and success do not put anyone beyond error.
- “Ride a mule while you’re looking for a horse.” — Make good use of what you have while you seek something better; do not abandon the adequate before you have secured the ideal.
- “One mouse dropping will ruin the whole pot of rice.” — A single small bad element can spoil something otherwise good and whole — the same idea as one rotten apple.
- “There’s no shame in asking questions, even of people below your status.” — Wisdom can be learned from anyone, and humility in seeking it is a strength, never a weakness.
Frequently Asked Questions About Taiwanese Proverbs
What are Taiwanese proverbs?
They are the sayings used in Taiwan, rooted in classical Chinese wisdom traditions and in the island’s own Hokkien-speaking folk culture, shaped by farming, the sea and centuries of layered history.
What is a famous Taiwanese proverb about asking questions?
“He who asks is a fool for five minutes, but he who does not ask remains a fool forever.” It captures the culture’s high regard for learning and its impatience with pride that refuses to admit ignorance.
What do Taiwanese proverbs teach?
They teach perseverance, humility, the worth of steady effort over haste, the importance of learning, and the wisdom of guarding the resources and relationships that sustain you.
Are Taiwanese proverbs the same as Chinese proverbs?
They share deep roots in classical Chinese wisdom, so many overlap, but Taiwan also has its own Hokkien-language sayings drawn from island, farming and seafaring life that give the tradition its distinct flavour.
Explore more in our full library of proverbs and their meanings, or browse related collections of Chinese and Japanese proverbs.