早知今日，何必當初
“Had I known it would come to this, why did I ever start?”
Expresses regret over a decision whose bad outcome now seems obvious.
— Traditional Hong Kong Wisdom, Hong Kong
Source: Traditional Hong Kong proverb, public-domain oral tradition
More Proverbs from Hong Kong
Before eating the Dragon Boat Festival rice dumplings, don't put away your winter clothes.
Warns that the weather stays changeable until after the Dragon Boat Festival in early summer, so don't put winter clothing away too soon.
Traditional Hong Kong Wisdom
Read more →
With money, you can even make a ghost push the millstone.
Money can accomplish things that would otherwise seem impossible.
Traditional Hong Kong Wisdom
Read more →
When one rooster dies, another crows.
Life goes on — when one thing ends, something else rises to take its place.
Traditional Hong Kong Wisdom
Read more →
The mountain is big — keep chopping and there will always be more firewood.
There are always more opportunities or options if you keep looking.
Traditional Hong Kong Wisdom
Read more →
Heaven never seals off every path for a person.
No matter how dire the situation, some way forward will appear.
Traditional Hong Kong Wisdom
Read more →
Better to rely on yourself than to ask others.
Self-reliance is more dependable than depending on other people's help.
Traditional Hong Kong Wisdom
Read more →