saying， maxim， adage， saw， motto， epigram， proverb， aphorism
These nouns refer to concise verbal expressions setting forth wisdom or a truth.

这些名词都指富含智慧和真理意味的简洁话语的表达。

 

A saying is an often repeated and familiar expression: 
Saying 指常被重复和熟悉的表达：
She was fond of quoting the sayings of philosophers.
她喜欢引用哲人的话。

Maxim  denotes particularly an expression of a general truth or a rule of conduct:
Maxim  特指普遍真理或行为准则的表达：
“For a wise man, he seemed to me . . . to be governed too much by general maxims” (Edmund Burke).
“在我看来，一个明智的人似乎过于被普遍公理束缚了” （埃德蒙·伯克）。

Adage  applies to a saying that has gained credit through long use:
Adage  指经过长期使用并得到认可的格言：
On his birthday the child gave no credence to the adage, “Good things come in small packages.”
这孩子过生日时不相信“好东西在小包里”的老话。

Saw  often refers to a familiar saying that has become trite through frequent repetition:
Saw  常指经过多次重复而变得陈腐的熟语：
My wise saws gave little comfort to the losing team.

我的明智箴言不会给失败者带来丝毫安慰。

 

A motto  is a maxim that expresses the aims, character, or guiding principles of a person, a group, or an institution: 
Motto 是表达个人、组织或机构的目标、特征或指导原则的话：
“Exuberance over taste” was her motto. “丰富胜于得体”是她的座右铭。

 

An epigram  is a terse, witty expression,  often paradoxical or satirical and neatly or brilliantly phrased:

Epigram 是简短、智慧的表达，常常指似是而非的或讽刺的和精确完美地表达：
In his epigram Samuel Johnson called remarriage a “triumph of hope over experience.”
在他的警句中塞缪尔·约翰逊把再婚称作“希望对经历的胜利”。

Proverb  refers to an old and popular saying that illustrates something such as a basic truth or a practical precept:
Proverb  是指表达基本事实或实用概念的流行的旧说法：
“Slow and steady wins the race” is a proverb to live by.
“缓慢与稳健赢得比赛”是一条生活格言。

Aphorism,  a concise expression of a truth or principle, implies depth of content and stylistic distinction:
Aphorism  指真理或原则的简明表达，暗示内容的深度和形式的区分：
Few writers have coined more aphorisms than Benjamin Franklin.
几乎没有其它的作家比本杰明·富兰克林编撰的格言多

 

 

white complexion is powerful enough to hide seven faults.一白遮三丑。

A leopard cannot change it\'s spots. 江山易改，本性难移。

Never put off till tomorrow what may be done today.　今日事，今日毕。

Penny wise, pound foolish.　小事聪明，大事糊涂。

What the mind can conceive, it can achieve.　心想事成。

All or nothing.　宁为玉碎，不为瓦全。

To see is to believe.　眼见为实。

Two heads are better than one.　三个臭皮匠，胜过一个诸葛亮。

Well begun is half done.　好的开始是成功的一半。

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

Where there is smoke, there is fire.　无风不起浪。

While there is life, there is hope.　留得青山在，不怕没柴烧。

You can not sell the cow and drink the milk.　鱼与熊掌不能兼得。

You can\'t judge a book by its cover.　人不可貌相；海水不可斗量。

You got what you pay for.　一分钱一分货。

中英文两种语言,虽然字形相差悬殊,但思想却往往很接近. 例如一些日常生活中听到的成语,雷同的相当多.数例如下:

Strike while the iron is hot(打铁趁热)

Like father, like son(有其父必有其子)

A friend in need is a friend indeed(患难见真情)

Harm set, harm get(害人反害己)

Time and tide wait for no man(岁月不留人)

Out of sight, out of mind(眼不见,心不烦)

Once a thief, always a thierf(贼性难改)

An inch of miss is as good as a mile(差之毫厘,失之千里)

Man proposes but God disposes(人算不如天算)

Six of one and half a dozen of the other(半斤八两)

Penny wise, pound foolish(小事聪明,大事胡涂)


英文中也有很多经典的成语，有的与中国成语同出一辙，相映成趣。
　　
Barking dogs seldom bite.　　吠犬不咬人
　　
Beggars‘ bags are bottom less.　　乞丐永远不知足
　　
Better go to heaven in rags than to hell in embroidery.　　宁可穷而有志，不可富而失节
　　
Better late than never.　　迟做总比不做好