Part1                      谚语：怎样生活的观念                                             Proverbs: Ideas About How to Live
Listeners’ favorite expressions about how to live the good life.  Transcript of radio broadcast: 05 April 2009   http://www.voanews.com/voanews_shared/images/icon-tiny-download.gif MP3 Download  (MP3)

Now, the VOA Special English program, WORDS AND THEIR STORIES.

Today we explain more popular proverbs. A proverb is a short, well known saying that expresses a common

truth or belief.  Proverbs are popular around the world.

Many listeners have sent us their favorite proverbs.  They give advice about how to live.  We begin with two

popular proverbs about staying healthy by eating good food: One is an apple a day keeps the doctor

away. Another is you are what you eat.

Several proverbs about birds also give advice. You may have heard this one:  The early bird catches the

worm. This means a person who gets up early, or acts quickly, has the best chance of success.    

Another famous proverb is a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush. This means you should not risk

losing something you have by seeking something that is not guaranteed.

Here is another piece of advice: Do not count your chickens before they are hatched. In other words,

 you should not think too much about some future event before it really happens.

Another proverb warns do not put all your eggs in one basket.  This means you should not put all of your

resources together in one place because you could risk losing everything at one time. Many Americans

learned this the hard way by investing all their money in stock shares, which then lost value.  Another proverb

says a fool and his money are soon parted. This means someone who acts unwisely with money will lose

it.

Here is more advice: If at first you don't succeed, try, try again. Also, never put off until tomorrow

what you can do today.

You might learn that haste makes waste if you do somethingso fast, resulting in mistakes. Most people

would agree with this proverb: honesty is the best policy.

Yet another proverb advises us not to be concerned about something bad that you cannot change. It says

there is no use crying over spilled milk.        

Do you agree with the proverb that children should be seen and not heard?  Maybe you have told your

children that hard work never hurt anyone.  But other people say that all work and no play makes Jack

a dull boy.  They believe it is not wise to spend all your time working and never having fun.

Finally, here is one of our favorite proverbs: People who live in glass houses should not throw

stones.  This means you should not criticize other people unless you are perfect yourself.

 

(MUSIC)

This VOA Special English program was written by Shelley Gollust. I'm Faith Lapidus. You can find more proverbs

and other WORDS AND THEIR STORIES at our Web site, voaspecialenglish.com.

 

 

 

Part2                                  一些听众喜欢的谚语                          Proverbs: Some Listeners’ Favorite Sayings
More expressions about a common truth or belief. Transcript of radio broadcast: 02 March 2009 http://www.voanews.com/voanews_shared/images/icon-tiny-download.gif MP3  Download  (MP3)

Correction attached

Now, the VOA Special English program, WORDS AND THEIR STORIES.

A proverb is a short, well known saying that expresses a common truth or belief.  Many proverbs give advice about the best way to live. 

Recently, we presented a program about proverbs.  We asked our listeners to send us their favorite proverbs.  A short time later, we received suggestions from around the world.  We heard from listeners in Africa, Asia, Europe and South America.

The top proverb among these listeners is this one: "Where there is a will, there is a way."  This means that you can rise above your problems if you have a goal and work very hard.

Some listeners liked another proverb: "Strike while the iron is hot."  This means it is best to take action quickly and at the right time.  Another favorite proverb was, "God helps those who help themselves."

Xu Da-ju from China wrote that his country has thousands of proverbs.  Several of them are also used in the United States.  One example is "Birds of a feather flock together."  This means that people who are alike often become friends or spend time together. 

Another proverb is "Blood is thicker than water."  This means family ties are stronger than other relationships.  A similar proverb states "Charity begins at home."  A person should help his family or close friends before helping others.

Alina from China sent us this proverb: "He who would climb a ladder must begin at the bottom."  That is good advice when working around your home or looking for a job. 

Antonio Jose from Brazil says his favorite proverb is "Tell me who walks with you, and I'll tell you who you are."  Didier Vermeulen of France sent us this one: "It does not matter the speed you go.  The most important thing is to never stop."

Wafaa from Egypt says her favorite proverb is, "Think twice, act wise."  She also says she is making an effort to use this saying in her life.

Another favorite proverb among our listeners is "Practice makes perfect."  This means you will become good at something if you keep doing it.  Another popular proverb is: "If you want something done right, do it yourself."

Najeeb from Afghanistan sent us this proverb: "If you risk nothing, then you risk everything."

And, here is the favorite proverb of Marius Meledje in Ivory Coast:  "Your defeat now is your victory in the future."  He says it means you can learn from your mistakes.  This will help you do better when facing similar situations in the future.

(MUSIC)

This VOA Special English program was written by Shelley Gollust.  I'm Faith Lapidus.  We will present more programs about proverbs in the future.  And you can find more WORDS AND THEIR STORIES at our Web site, voaspecialenglish.com. 

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Correction: An earlier version of this page incorrectly used masculine pronouns for a listener in Egypt named Wafaa; Wafaa is a female name.

 

Where there is a will, there is a way: 有志者事竟成

Strike while the iron is hot：趁热打铁

God helps those who help themselves：自助者天助

Birds of a feather flock together：物以类聚,人以群分

Blood is thicker than water：血浓于水

Charity begins at home：仁爱自家始

He who would climb a ladder must begin at the bottom：千里之行始于足下

Tell me who walks with you, and I'll tell you who you are：观其友知其人

It does not matter the speed you go. The most important thing is to never stop：重要的不是速度而是永不放弃

Think twice, act wise：三思而后行

Practice makes perfect：熟能生巧

If you want something done right, do it yourself：自己动手，丰衣足食

If you risk nothing, then you risk everything: 万事不冒险将一事无成

Your defeat now is your victory in the future: 失败是成功之母