Chinese allegories

歇后语

Two-part allegorical saying (of which the first part, always stated, is descriptive, while the second part, often unstated, carries the message)

骑驴看唱本 – 走着瞧

Reading a play while riding a donkey – wait and see

千里送鹅毛 -- 礼轻情意重

Goose feather sent from 500 kilometers away – a small gift sent from afar conveys deep feeling

秀才遇到兵 -- 有理讲不清

A man with a pen encounters a man with a gun – you can't reach an agreement between the two kinds of people

肉包子打狗 – 有去无回

Throw a meat-stuffed bun at a dog – something gone, never to return

老鼠钻进风箱里 -- 两头受气

A rat sneaks into a bellows – get blame from both sides; be caught between the hammer and the anvil

狗咬吕洞宾 – 不识好人心

Snarl and snap at Lu Dongbin (one of the eight immortals in Chinese mythology) – mistake a good man for a bad one

大水冲了龙王庙 – 自家人不认自家人

The flood inundates the temple of the Dragon King – People on the same side fight each other by mistake

铁打的公鸡 -- 一毛不拔

Iron cock – stingy person