A collection of proverbs passed down by our ancestors

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I’m utterly impressed by this collection of proverbs passed down from our ancestors. Human relationships are as flimsy as paper; every situation is like a new game of chess. 　　The poor are ignored in the busy streets, while the rich have relatives living in remote mountains. 　　If you don’t believe it, just look at the wine at the banquet: every cup is first offered to the rich and noble. 　　Tie a tall horse in front of the door; if not relatives, they’ll still be like family. 　　Place a begging stick in front of the door, and relatives and friends will not come. 　　In this world, friendship requires gold; without enough gold, friendships cannot be deep. 　　Even if promises are made for now, in the end one remains but a passerby on life’s long road. 　　With money and wine, there are many brothers; but in times of crisis, who has ever seen even one? 　　The winner takes all, the loser is a villain; only appearance matters, not the person themselves. 　　Poverty and wealth come and go before one reaches old age; how many people experience rise and fall in just ten years. 　　For three days after leaving office, people ask me questions; for three days after returning to office, I ask people questions. 　　The ancients saw not the moon of today; yet this very moon once shone upon them. 　　Those near water enjoy the moonlight first; plants facing the sun bloom easily in spring. 　　There’s no one who isn’t talked about behind their back; there’s no one who doesn’t talk about others behind their back. 　　Through trials, one becomes a strong man; keeping silent, one learns from the wise. 　　Use seven parts for cleverness, and keep three parts for your descendants. 　　The noble person remains a noble person, while the vile person continues to be vile. 　　In the mountains, there are trees that have lived for a thousand years; in the world, it’s hard to find people who live to be a hundred. 　　Surely there are tears of longing for one’s family from afar, but they cannot compare to the parents’ concern for their child. 　　The two elders in the hall are living Buddhas; why go to Mount Spirit to pay homage to the World-Honored One? 　　One who commits no froward deeds will have no enemies in the world. 　　The more deceitful one is, the poorer they become; deceit is indeed not tolerated by heaven. 　　If wealth comes from deceit, the foolish in the world will cry to the west wind. 　　When seeking help, one should seek a true man; when helping others, one should do so in times of urgency. 　　There are countless people in the world; which man can truly be called a husband? 　　Human relationships involve varying degrees of intimacy; the affairs of the world are like clouds that can gather or disperse as they will. 　　Just as a mountain fears no tiger that may harm it, it fears only the double-edged nature of human relationships. 　　Strive to maintain good relations everywhere; no matter how high the price of alcohol, I won’t drink it. 　　Young governors have few worries; those who know many people encounter more disputes. 　　In autumn, the mountains are filled with beautiful hues; in spring, fragrance fills every corner. 　　In poverty, no noble offers gold; in illness, no wise one prescribes a remedy. 　　It’s easy for a beauty to earn a fortune by showing her charms, but hard for a brave man to get even a meal when in dire straits. 　　In youth, one thinks it’s easy to live; only in maturity does one realize how difficult it is to build a career. 　　One meticulously calculates every possible mistake; yet upon reflection, everything seems difficult to accomplish. 　　There are countless worries in the world, yet not a single one appears on one’s brows. 　　One’s ruin always comes on the days of doing evil, while fame is achieved through doing good. 　　Do not waste your sincere heart on trivial matters; only those with great virtue can enjoy longevity. 　　Calumny destroys true gentlemen, while beauty corrupts passionate youths. 　　Even immortals can’t fathom what fate holds; Heaven never fails those who toil with sincerity. 　　Evil people fear others but not heaven; kind people are exploited by others but not by heaven. 　　Good and evil will ultimately be rewarded or punished; it’s only a matter of time, whether early or late. 　　If one does nothing wrong in life, one need not worry when someone knocks at the door in the middle of the night. 　　One should always refrain from deception; there are gods watching from above. 　　Deities should be respected, not flattered; enemies should be resolved, not made. 　　We meet everywhere in life; don’t let petty grievances cause upset. 　　Righteousness is surely admired by people, while greed is laughed at by demons. 　　The wise do not boast of their strengths, and the noble do not take away what others cherish. 　　One should strive to do good deeds; waste no mental energy on trivial matters of right and wrong. 　　Fertile fields cannot be placed in the heart; possessions turn into sources of sorrow. 　　For a thousand years, the world has had eight hundred rulers; the fields belong to the masters, while people are merely guests. 　　Unfavorable ground isn’t as good as fresh land; fate lies in human hands, not in heaven. 　　A wise question can bring down a king; wealth cannot buy virtuous descendants. 　　Fish know when the water is warm or cold; spring cares not as flowers bloom and wither. 　　Colonel Snail’s male and female, competing in speed amidst the flashes of light. 　　It’s hard to learn from the ancients with attention; one fears ending up swept away by the current. 　　Young with few desires and good looks; old, seeking no office and free from dreams. 　　No miracle cure can heal the illness of injustice; sudden wealth does not enrich those whose fate is poor. 　　Since old times, affection has only left behind regrets; sweet dreams are always the easiest to be shattered. 　　Only eight scoops of rice are obtained; even after walking far and wide, one can’t fill a single measure. 　　Few in the world know how to be grateful and repay kindness; many, on the other hand, are heartless. 　　Humiliation awaits beside honor; fortune follows behind poverty. 　　Everyone is responsible for their own life and death; meddling in others’ affairs only brings trouble. 　　Mountain streams rise and fall easily; human hearts are fickle and changeable. 　　A beautiful maiden should never be called old; a carefree rogue must never be deemed poor. 　　A dragon in shallow waters becomes a plaything for shrimps; a tiger in plain lands is bullied by dogs. 　　A cat that has food is stronger than a tiger; a featherless phoenix is not as good as a chicken. 　　Do not plan for a thousand years; by thirty you may be east of the river, by forty west. 　　When planting thorny trees along the path, one can spare his descendants from wearing patched clothes in the future. 　　When the roof leaks, continuous rain follows; when the boat is slow, headwinds appear. 　　I remember as a boy riding on a bamboo horse; looking again, it was the white-headed crane. 　　Beautiful women are essentially demons; wealth in troubled times is the root of all evils. 　　It is easier to save beasts than humans; I would rather save beasts than humans. 　　Heaven serves as the chessboard and the stars as the pieces; water has its source and trees have their roots. 　　Flowers bloom yesterday and wither today; those who live a hundred years still have hearts that last ten thousand. 　　In the desolate tombs of Beimang, there is no distinction between the rich and the poor; the clouds that form the mountain ranges bring about changes through the ages. 　　The ways of the world are unpredictable; the gentle breeze and bright moon watch people indifferently. 　　I keep silent about both old and new matters; it’s hard to find two or three true confidants. 　　To understand the ways of the world, one must endure hardships; upon grasping human nature, one nods silently in agreement. 　　Troubles arise merely from talking too much; worries come about simply from trying to meddle in things. 　　Seventy years is a rare age throughout history; how many more years do you have left? 　　The key to managing a household lies in harmony, while the key to a lifetime of success lies in diligence. 　　When the emperor changes, his ministers change too; one generation comes and another goes. 　　One dew-kissed sprout, one blade of grass; one layer of mountains and rivers, one layer of people. 　　Sitting idly in the study, preoccupied with thoughts—seems it’s all about the past and present. 　　In books, there is both truth and falsehood; people recognize the false but fail to recognize the true. 　　When falsehood is passed off as truth, truth becomes falsehood; when truth is turned into falsehood, falsehood turns into truth. 　　True and false are hard to distinguish; what is false remains false, and what is true remains true. 　　It’s like recalling events—falsehoods used to cultivate truth and dispel confusion. 　　Wealth and honor come in dreams at midnight; why strive so hard in vain?