8 Chinese Idioms With Sheep & Goat (羊)

Never too late to fix

Literal meaning: Fix pen after lost sheep

This practical wisdom originates from an ancient shepherd who, after losing (亡) sheep (羊), finally repaired (补) his pen (牢). The story, recorded in 'Guanzi', became a governance parable during the Warring States period. Officials used it to argue for preventive policies rather than reactive measures...

Unity creates strength

Literal meaning: Many wills make wall

This architectural metaphor shows how many wills (众志) can form an impenetrable wall (城), drawing from ancient Chinese defensive architecture. It gained significance during the Warring States period when city walls required massive coordinated effort to construct and defend. Historical records detail...

Help and support each other

Literal meaning: Watch and help each other

Originating from ancient Chinese village organization principles, this phrase describes communities watching (守望) and helping (相助) each other. Historical records from the Zhou Dynasty detail how five families would form mutual aid groups, sharing lookout duties and agricultural assistance. The conce...

Stay humble and open

Literal meaning: Empty heart like valley

Derived from Daoist philosophy, this phrase advocates maintaining an empty (虚) heart/mind (怀) like (若) a valley (谷). The valley metaphor was particularly significant in Daoist thought - like a valley that receives all waters without preference, one should remain open to all ideas without prejudice. ...

Stop problems before they grow

Literal meaning: Prevent small stop gradual

This proactive idiom advocates preventing (防) minor problems (微) and blocking (杜) their gradual (渐) development, first appearing in Han Dynasty governance manuals. It gained prominence during the Tang Dynasty through Chancellor Wei Zheng's famous memorial warning Emperor Taizong that small issues ev...

Things happen when ready

Literal meaning: Melon ripe stem falls

This agricultural metaphor describes how a melon (瓜) naturally falls from its stem (蒂) when ripe (熟), originating from peasant wisdom during the Spring and Autumn period. Farmers observed that forcing a melon from the vine before its time yielded poor results, while patience produced perfectly ripen...

Gradual accumulation builds up

Literal meaning: Days pile months gather

This idiom weaves together daily (日) accumulation (积) with monthly (月) gathering (累) to describe gradual progress. It first appeared in Han Dynasty texts discussing scholarly cultivation, where learning was seen as a process of constant, minute additions - like grains of sand forming a mountain. The...

Small things build achievement

Literal meaning: Gather sand make tower

The concept of gathering (聚) sand (沙) to build (成) a tower (塔) emerged from Buddhist temple construction practices during the Northern Wei Dynasty. The image of accumulated individual grains forming a massive structure became a metaphor for collective effort and gradual progress. It gained particula...