Traditional Hong Kong Wisdom

未食五月糉，寒衣未入櫳

“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.

有錢使得鬼推磨

“With money, you can even make a ghost push the millstone.”

Money can accomplish things that would otherwise seem impossible.

一雞死一雞鳴

“When one rooster dies, another crows.”

Life goes on — when one thing ends, something else rises to take its place.

山大斬埋有柴

“The mountain is big — keep chopping and there will always be more firewood.”

There are always more opportunities or options if you keep looking.

天無絕人之路

“Heaven never seals off every path for a person.”

No matter how dire the situation, some way forward will appear.

求人不如求己

“Better to rely on yourself than to ask others.”

Self-reliance is more dependable than depending on other people's help.

相見好，同住難

“Meeting is pleasant; living together is hard.”

Relationships are easier at a distance than under the strain of daily proximity.

家和萬事興

“When the family is harmonious, everything prospers.”

Domestic harmony is the foundation for success in all other matters.

食得鹹魚抵得渴

“If you eat salted fish, you must be ready to bear the thirst.”

If you choose a path or its pleasures, you must also accept its consequences.

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.

一分耕耘，一分收穫

“One part of tilling brings one part of harvest.”

Reward is proportional to the effort put in.

冇風不起浪

“Without wind, no waves would rise.”

Rumors and events usually have some underlying cause.

一言既出，駟馬難追

“Once a word leaves your mouth, four galloping horses cannot catch it back.”

A spoken promise cannot be taken back, so speak carefully and keep your word.

醜婦終須見家翁

“An unattractive bride must eventually meet her father-in-law.”

An uncomfortable moment cannot be avoided forever and must eventually be faced.

力不到不為財

“Without exerting real effort, one does not earn real wealth.”

Genuine income comes only from genuine labor.

有麝自然香

“Where there is musk, the fragrance spreads on its own.”

True talent or quality reveals itself naturally, without the need for self-promotion.

牛唔飲水唔撳得牛頭低

“You cannot force a cow to drink water by pushing its head down.”

You cannot force someone to want something against their own will.

未見官先打三十大板

“Before even seeing the magistrate, one is already beaten thirty strokes.”

Being punished or judged before getting a fair chance to explain.

得閒死唔得閒病

“There's time to die, but no time to be sick.”

A wry, modern Hong Kong expression for a schedule so packed that even illness must wait.

有頭髮邊個想做癩痢

“If one had hair, who would want to be bald and scabby-headed?”

No one chooses a hard or shameful path unless driven to it by circumstance — often said with sympathy for people forced into difficult choices.

隔籬飯香

“The neighbor's rice smells better.”

What belongs to others often looks more appealing than what one already has.

各人自掃門前雪，莫管他人瓦上霜

“Let each person sweep the snow before his own door and not worry about the frost on another's roof.”

A caution against meddling in other people's affairs — often used to criticize excessive self-interest.

山中無老虎，猴子稱大王

“When there's no tiger in the mountains, the monkey crowns himself king.”

In the absence of real strength or leadership, lesser figures step up to claim authority.

好天挖埋落雨柴

“On a sunny day, gather firewood for the rainy day.”

Prepare for hard times while conditions are still good.

泥菩薩過江，自身難保

“A clay Buddha crossing the river cannot even protect itself.”

One who cannot save themselves is in no position to help anyone else.

龍生龍，鳳生鳳，老鼠生仔識打洞

“Dragons beget dragons, phoenixes beget phoenixes, and a rat's young know how to dig burrows.”

Children tend to inherit the traits, habits, or standing of their parents.

有心唔怕遲

“If your heart is set on it, it's never too late.”

Genuine intention makes up for a late start.

人靠衣裝，佛靠金裝

“A person relies on their clothes, as a Buddha statue relies on its gold plating.”

Outward presentation strongly shapes how a person or thing is perceived.

台上一分鐘，台下十年功

“One minute on stage takes ten years of practice off it.”

A brief, polished performance represents years of hidden preparation.

一樣米養百樣人

“The same rice feeds a hundred different kinds of people.”

People turn out very differently even when raised under similar conditions.

病從口入，禍從口出

“Sickness enters through the mouth; disaster exits through the mouth.”

Careless eating harms the body, and careless speech invites trouble.

執輸行頭，慘過敗家

“Falling behind and missing out feels worse than losing the family fortune.”

A modern Hong Kong expression for the anxiety of being left behind in a fast, competitive city.

一命二運三風水，四積陰德五讀書

“First fate, second fortune, third feng shui, fourth accumulated virtue, fifth education.”

A traditional folk ranking of the forces believed to shape a person's success in life.

講就天下無敵，做就有心無力

“Talk, and no one under heaven can beat you; act, and the will is there but not the strength.”

Mocks people who talk boldly but fail to deliver when it's time to act.

財不可露眼

“Wealth should not be flaunted before others' eyes.”

Displaying your money openly invites envy, risk, or trouble.

平安大過天

“Safety is greater than heaven itself.”

Personal safety and well-being outweigh every other concern.

未學行先學走

“Learning to run before learning to walk.”

A warning against attempting advanced steps before mastering the basics.

世上無難事，只怕有心人

“Nothing under heaven is truly difficult — it only fears someone determined enough to try.”

Strong will and determination can overcome almost any obstacle.

人在江湖，身不由己

“Once you're out in the world, you're no longer fully your own master.”

Social ties and obligations often force people into actions they would not otherwise choose.

好事不出門，壞事傳千里

“Good news never leaves the house; bad news travels a thousand miles.”

Bad news and gossip spread far faster and farther than good news.

蘇州過後冇艇搭

“After Suzhou, there's no boat left to catch.”

Once a good opportunity has passed, it will not come again — act while the chance is still there.

冷手執個熱煎堆

“A cold hand grabs hold of a hot sesame ball.”

An unexpected stroke of good luck falls into someone's lap without any effort on their part.

食碗面反碗底

“Eat from the face of the bowl, then turn against its bottom.”

Describes someone who betrays or turns against the very person or institution that has fed and supported them.

十隻手指有長短

“Even the ten fingers of one hand are not the same length.”

People — even members of the same family — inevitably differ from one another; not everyone can turn out the same.

各花入各眼

“Different flowers enter different eyes.”

Beauty and taste are subjective — what one person finds appealing, another may not.

唔怕生壞命，最怕改壞名

“Being born with a bad fate is feared less than being given a bad name.”

A folk belief that the name given to a child carries real weight over their future, sometimes more than fate itself.

男怕入錯行，女怕嫁錯郎

“A man fears entering the wrong trade; a woman fears marrying the wrong husband.”

A traditional saying stressing how much a person's whole life can be shaped by the career or marriage they choose.

平時不燒香，臨時抱佛腳

“Never burn incense in ordinary times, then hug the Buddha's feet the moment trouble arrives.”

Criticizes people who only seek help, prepare, or show devotion at the last minute, instead of preparing steadily in advance.

講多錯多

“The more you talk, the more mistakes you make.”

A caution that excessive talking increases the chances of saying something wrong or regrettable.

生仔唔知仔心肝

“Even the parent who bore the child cannot always know the child's true heart.”

Parents, however close, can never fully know what is truly in their children's hearts and minds.