寵婢作管家。鑰匙不響手撥刺。

A description of how it is a bad idea to spoil the maid to the extent that she dominates the entire household.

雲往東。一場空。雲往西。馬濺泥。

雲往南。水潭潭。雲往北。好曬麥。

Describing how the direction of the movements of clouds affects rain.

雞冠花。菉蓐草。

Ji Guan flower (the flower that looks like a rooster's comb), and Lu Ru grass.

心安茅屋隱。

When one's heart is at peace, so is one's thatch-roofed house.

饑梳頭。飽洗澡。

Comb your hair when you are hungry, take a bath when you are full.

晴則如刀。雨則如膏。

A certain kind of mud is sharp like knife when the sky is clear and soft like ointment when it is raining.

苦如蘻

Bitter as Xi grass.

不瘖不聾。不成姑公。

If one is not deaf and dumb yet, one is not a mother-in-law or father-in-law to a woman.

賊無歷底中道回。

If bandits do not have an insider to help out, they will turn back half way.

龍精於目。

The sharpest organs of a dragon are its eyes.

鯊性沙抱。

The nature of the fish Sha is to hug sand.

鳩食桑葚則醉。貓食荷則醉。虎食狗則醉。

The bird Jiou gets intoxicated by eating mulberries, cats get intoxicated by eating mints, and tigers get intoxicated by eating dogs.

豺群噬虎。

瘦如豺。

The animal Cai can eat tigers as a group.

狼卜食。

Wolves choose the right direction to go for hunting for their food.

薄荷醉貓。死貓引竹。

Mints intoxicate cats and dead cats in turn induce the growth of bamboo.

熊羆眼直。惡人橫目。

The bears look straight ahead and evil people look to the side.

鴛交頸而感。烏傳涎而孕。

鵲傳枝。鴉茹沫。

A female Mandarin duck gets impregnated by crossing its neck to a male duck and a crow gets impregnated by catching saliva. The bird Qui gets impregnated by being attached to some twigs of trees and the bird Ya by eating saliva.

天將雨。鳩逐婦。

When it is about to rain, the male Jiu birds chase away the females.

鷺鷥相逐成胎。

Herons get impregnated after the chase.

鴇無舌。兔無脾。

The bird Bao does not have a tongue and rabbits do not have spleens.

蚊有昏市。

Mosquitoes open their market at dusk.

白頭種桃。

桃三李四。梅子十二。

One can plant a peach tree and get fruit even if one is old with gray hair. It takes three years for peach trees to bear fruit, four years for the kind of plum tree called Li and twelve years for the kind of plum tree called Mei.

梅華優於香。桃華優於色。

Plum flowers are superior in fragrance, but peach flowers are superior in color.

梨百損一益。楙百益一損。

There is only one benefit and hundreds of bad effects from eating pears. But eating Mao has hundreds of benefits and just one bad effect.

荷華日舒夜斂。芡華晝合宵炕。

Lotus flowers bloom during the day and close at night, but Qian flowers close during the day and bloom fiercely at night.

藕生應月。月生一節。閏輒益一。

Lotus roots grow all year round. Every month, the grow another section, and during intercalary months, they get even more time to grow.

過滿百。為蠆所螫。

I have over a hundred faults and therefore get bit by Chai (a kind of poisonous insect related to scorpion)

得一部。典一褲。

If one wants to buy three globe fish, one has to sell a pair of pants.

鯰魚上竹。

The fish Zhan climbs up on bamboo shrubs.

網中得蟹。無魚可賣。

If one catches only crabs in the net, then there are no fish to sell.

一畝之地。三蛇九鼠。

An acre of land contains three snakes and nine ground hogs.

其山崔巍以嵯峨。其水溢沓而揚波。其人砢而英多。

That mountain is very tall and that water so deep that waves form. That person is gifted with so many good qualities.

城門失火。殃及池魚。

There was a fire in the city gate area. As the water from the fish pond was used to put out the fire, the fish died from lack of water.

商山四皓。不如淮陽一老。

The four intelligent people in Shang mountain are not as good as that old man in Hui Yang.

陽雀叫。鵜鴃央。

The bird Yang Chui's call is like shouting, the bird Ti Gui's call sounds peaceful.

禾絹開眼諾。 胡母大張橐。

Words referring to a powerful yet very corrupted official in the court at the time.

赤火南流喪南國。

A children's song predicting the end of a dynasty.

閱武堂。 種楊柳。 至尊屠肉。 潘妃酤酒。

A song sung by people concerning the last emperor of Qi, who was at his best indulging in silly and unnecessary luxuries and plays.

石頭擣兩襠。 擣青復擣黃。

A children's song correctly predicting the difficulties of a military action against the current cityof Nan Jing in the south.

虜萬夫。 入五湖。 城南酒家使虜奴。

A children's song concerning the failure of a military action by a northern kingdom against a southern kingdom.

齊雲觀。 寇來無際畔。

A song sung by people of the Chen kingdom concerning military personnel whom they thought they could count on, without fearing invasion from other kingdom.

畢國主。

A song sung by a woman, whose words point to the emperor as the one who would end the Chen dynasty.

可憐巴馬子。 一日行千里。 不見馬上郎。

但見黃塵起。 黃塵汙人衣。 皂莢相料理。

A children's song predicting the transition from one short-lived dynasty to another.

北路魚。 南路徐。

Words concerning two very wasteful men of the time.

可憐白浮鳩。 枉殺檀江州。

A song expressing their sorrow regarding the slaying of a general, Tan Dao Ji, and his seven sons, due to a power struggle in the emperor's court.

三真六草。 為天下寶。

Words praising Wang Zhi and Wang Bin as the greatest calligraphers of their time.

欲向南。 錢可貪。遂向東。 為黃銅。

Words about the great cost for Wang Ying, a high ranking court official, to expand his house southwards. He eventually expanded eastward of his house, which cost a lot less.

可憐石頭城。 寧為袁粲死。 不作彥回生。

Words about how one should emulate a loyal subject like Yuan Can, who would rather die than serve another emperor which was what Chu Yuan Hui did.

三人共宅夾清漳。 張南周北劉中央。

Words referring to the three good writers of the time: Zhang Rong, Zhou Yu, and Liu Hui.

不畏蕭娘語呂姥。 但畏合肥有韋武。

Words said by the military personnel from the Wei dynasty of the north, who were waiting to do a battle with the approaching army of Liang dynasty from the south. They compared the commander-in-chief and the general of the Liang army to women, since these two ordered a retreat without even fighting.

寧逢五虎入市。不欲見臨賀父子。

We would rather confront five tigers in the market than meet Prince Lin He and his son. This is describing the ruthless character of this father and son pair.

江千萬。 蔡五百。 王新車。 庚大宅。 主人憒憒不如客。

Words about how Prince Ke was conned by his house guests who ended up richer than their host.

莫匆匆。 且寬公。 誰當作天子。 草覆車邊己。

A children's song may be predicting who would become the next emperor. This song gave Prince Fan a lot of hope.

鹿子開城門。 城門鹿子開。 當開復未開。 使我心徘徊。

城中諸少年。 逐歡歸去來。

A rumor about how Prince Zhao Ming would die and how Emperor Wu, in his sorrow wouldtake him a long time to decide which of his sons might succeed the post that Prince Zhao Ming had left empty.

淫預如襆本不通。 瞿塘水退為庚公。

A song sung by people who lived along one of the three gorges of Yang Tzi River in present day Si Chuan. This song is about how the water of Qu Tang ebbed for a filial son, Yu Zi Yu, to go across the river on his way taking his father's corpse home.

故人不道智。 新人佞散騎。 莫如度不度。 新人不如故。

Words about how replacing Jiang Ge with Wang Tan Cong as the official of Nan Zhou was a bad idea. Jiang Ge was replaced simply because he did not flatter people who were close to theemperor.

無處不逢鳥噪。 無處不逢鮑佐。

Words about three very active, young, talented brothers, Bao Jian, Bao Zheng and Bao Zhi. People met them everywhere they went, just as one hears birds chirping everywhere.

竹竿籊籊。 河水浟浟。相忘為樂。 貪餌吞鉤。 非夷非惠。

聊以忘憂。

A song sung by a fisherman to Sun Mian, who was advising the fishermen to become a government official. The fisherman's song was this: I am fishing not for the fish or the money, but simply to enjoy the view of the river and forget the worries of life.

差山中。 有賢士。 開門教授局城市。

Words about a hermit who lived in the mountains, yet he had disciples who built houses around him, so that eventually it was as if a city surrounded him.

水王木為梁字。

A song sung by a hermit saying that the name of the next dynasty would be Liang.

欲求貴職﹑依刀敕。 須得富豪﹑事(捉)(御)刀。

If one wants to get high paying jobs, one ought to depend on those who are in power. If one wants to get rich, one would have to wait on those who are in power as if they were the emperor.

趙鬼食鴨削。 諸鬼盡著調。

A rumor in the court about how those people who in fact ran the court, rather than the emperor, would all be killed and cooked.

的脰鳥。 拂朱雀。 還與吳。

A children's song predicting that Hou Jing's reign would be short-lived.

脫青袍。 著芒屩。 荊州天子挺應著。

A song about how Hou Jing was having a hard time holding on to the throne.

苦竹町。市南有好井。荊危州軍。殺侯景。

A children's song predicting the slaying of Hou Jing, whose head was cooked, painted, anddisplayed as an exhibition.

奇才強記﹑殷往嗣。

Yin Wang Si was such a genius that he was constantly reading and memorizing manyscriptures.

狐非狐。 貉非貉。 焦梨狗子齧斷索。

A rumor predicting the coming to power of Yu Wen Tai.

一束槁。兩頭然。河邊羖【羝】飛上天。

A children's song predicting the coming to power of Gao Yang, Wen Xuan emperor of Northern Qi.

馬子入石室。三千六百日。

A children's song correctly predicting that the reign of Gao Yang would be exactly ten years.

泰州河東。 杼柚代舂。 元公至止。 田疇始理。

A song sung by people of He Dong praising their Governor Yuan Shu, who made them learn agriculture in order to have a more sustainable life than that based on trading.

五經無對﹑有陸乂。

Lu Yi has so much knowledge of the five scriptures that no one could ever challenge him.

學則渾繪緯。 口則繪緯渾。

Among the three brothers of the Li household, their competence in learnedness are in this order: Hun is the first, Hui is the second, and Wei is the third. Their loquaciousness is in this order: Hui the first, Wei the second, and Hun the third.

入麤入細﹑李普濟。

Li Pu Ji is good in every way.

劍戟森森﹑李義深。

Li Yi Shen has talent, yet he is too selfish and good at scheming.

能賦能詩﹑陽休之。

Yang Xiu Zhi is good at writing poems.

陰生讀書不免癡。 不識雙鳳脫人衣。

Words about how Yin Fong was silly to pawn his clothes in order to pay his tuition to his twoteachers, who eventually were all successful and rich.

利以昏智。

Profits alone can make a wise person delirious, let alone someone who is not wise.

莫陸梁。 恐爾逢唐將。

Words about a general whose army was stationed on the northern border. He was there for four years and never lost a single battle.

一張紙。 兩張紙。 客量小兒作天子。

A rumor about who would become an emperor. Yang Liang interpreted this rumor in his favor but failed in his attempt to take over the throne and died in prison.

顯公鐘。 宋公鼓。 宗道暉屐。 李洛姬肚。

Words by people of Ji Zhou about the four biggest of four local people. One monk has the biggest bell. Mr. Song has the biggest drum, Mr. Zong has the biggest wooden shoes, and Mr. Li has the belly of a pregnant woman.

張家長。李家短。

An idiomatic expression describing someone who likes to go to different households to gossip.

生於燕子嶺。死在鳳凰山。

A children's song predicting the places of birth and death for bandit chief Zhang Xian Zong.

勸你休時不肯休。死在兩縣夾一州。若還要取沅辰靖。

鐵樹開花水倒流。

A children's song predicting the demise of a group of bandits.

鬍胖長。官人不商量。

做官﹑沒盤纏。

A children's song stating that government positions were for sale.

煙煙。北風吹上天。

團團旋。窠裏亂。北風來。吹便散。

A children's song predicting Prince Yaun's overthrowing his nephew from the throne.

菜根青兮。菜色辛兮。菜兮菜兮。似余情兮。

A song sung by Emperor Jian Wen when he was growing vegetables, after being expelled frompower by his uncle. The words express his bitter feelings for having become a gardener.

牛兒呵莽著。黃花地裏倘著。你也忙。我也忙。

伸出角來七尺長。

清俊小後生。青布衫。白直身。好個人。屈死在鷂兒嶺。

A children's song sung during the Zheng Tong era of Ming's Emperor Ying. The notes do notexplain the implication of this song. The song was about a cow lying on a yellow flower bed, anda handsome man died for no good reason on a hill.

馬倒不用喂。鼓破不用張。

A song sung by people of Bei Jing predicting that four court officials would be expelled frompower.

強賊放火。官軍搶火。賊來梳我。軍來篦我。

A children's song sung in modern day Si Chuan about how government troops, which weresupposed to fight off the bandits, actually gave the people more misery than the bandits did.

海熟田荒。

When the fish price is too low, the fishermen starve.

前頭好個鏡。後頭好個秤。鏡也不曾磨。秤也不曾定。

嘉靖二年半。秫黍磨成麵。東街咽瞪眼。西街喫磨扇。

姐夫若要喫白麵。只待明年七月半。

太廟香爐跳。午門石獅叫。

好黑頭蟲。一半變蛤蚧。一半變人龍。

A few children's songs sung during the Jia Jing era of Ming's Emperor Shi. The notes do not statethe implications of these songs.

石產房州。胡明善禍從地出。星臨井宿。張孚敬災自天來。

Words said about the misfortunes of two officials, Hu Ming Shan and Zhang Fu Jing.

天爆雉雞叫。有米沒人要。

When there is thunder and chickens are calling, no one wants to buy rice.

首甲幸有三人。云胡僅此二子。

Words said about how Ming's Emperor Shen gave the first place of the national service test to theson of his chief advisor, Zhang Ju Zheng, as a way of rewarding Zhang's good work in thegovernment. In fact, everyone knew that this was an unfair practice.

天上鬼車叫。城中放紙砲。不知因甚來。朝廷要納鈔。

A folk song in Shan Hai during the Wan Li era of Ming's Emperor Shen concerning the strangeghostly noise that people heard. People explained that as an indication that the government wasincreasing tax rates and it came to be true.

火龍無首。

Words said about the national civil service test during one year of the Wan Li era. This year,because of cheating, no one was listed as the winner of the first place of the test.

湖船底漏。司廚刀繡。梨園餓瘦。上瓦下瓦。抱裯遠走。

Words said about the great famine that Hang Zhou was going through during one year of theCong Zhen era.

書無百日工。

買王得羊。不失所望。

韓詩鄭易﹑挂著壁。

王廙飛白。右軍之亞。

羊真孔草。

丁真楷草。

朝廷左相筆。天下右丞詩。

陀子頭。道子腳。

牛即戴嵩。馬即韓幹。鶴即杜荀。象即章得。

開口貓兒合口龍。

吳帶當風。曹衣出水。

高君墜筆亦成畫。

黃筌畫鶴。薛稷減價。

唐朝吳道子手。梁朝劉彥齊眼。

黃筌富貴。徐熙野逸。

畫松當如夜叉臂。鸛鵲啄。

赫赫洛下。惟說異畫。張氏出頭。跋異無價。

李生來。跋君怕。不意今日卻增價。不畫羅漢畫駝馬。

信速不及草書。家貧難辦素食。

夏卿一箇竹。西涼十錠金。

杜詩顏字金華酒。海味圍棋左傳文。

物離鄉貴。

不用作方伯。惟須馬肝石。

年未半。枝不汗。

寧失千里駒。不失黃蛇珠。

薤如膏。身生毛。

夜未央。待龜黃。

明明上天照四海兮。知我好道公來下兮。公將與余生羽毛兮。

升騰青雲蹈梁甫兮。觀見三光遇北斗兮。驅乘風雲使玉女兮。

含精吐氣嚼芝草兮。悠悠將將天將保兮。

不意李立為貴人。

城門有血。城當陷沒為湖。

定伯賣鬼。得錢千五。

南山有鳥。北山張羅。鳥既高飛。羅將奈何。意欲從君。

讒言孔多。悲結生疾。沒命黃壚。命之不造。冤如之何。

羽族之長。名為鳳皇。一日失雄。三年感傷。雖有眾鳥。

不為匹雙。故見鄙姿。逢君輝光。身遠心近。何當暫忘。

青鸐鳴時太平。

三七末世。雞不鳴。犬不吠。宮中荊棘亂相係。

當有九虎爭為帝。

秋素景兮乏洪波。揮纖手兮折芰荷。涼風淒淒揚棹歌。

雲光開曙月低河。萬歲為樂豈云多。

洛陽多錢郭氏室。夜月晝星富無匹。

青槐夾道多塵埃。龍樓鳳闕望崔巍。清風細雨雜香來。

土上出金火照臺。

憑空虛躍。曹家白鵠。

寧得醇酒消腸。不與日月齊光。

有鳥有鳥丁令威。去家千年今始歸。城郭如故人民非。

何不學仙冢纍纍。

鼠得死人目精則為王。

世治則女水流。世亂則女水竭。

秦始皇。何僵梁。開吾戶。劇吾床。飲吾酒。唾吾漿。

飧吾飯。以為糧。張吾弓。射東牆。前至沙邱當滅亡。

十丈瓦屋八九間。蘆作柱。薤作欄。

生人作死別。荼毒當奈何。

揚州青。是鬼營。

芒籠茵。繩縛腹。車無軸。倚孤木。

桃李花。嚴霜落柰何。桃李子。嚴霜早已落。

運石甘泉口。渭水為不流。千人唱。萬人鉤。

玄石飲酒。一醉千日。

蛇珠千枚。不及玫瑰。

種千畝木奴。不如一龍珠。

無作封使君。生不治民死食民。

阿房阿房亡始皇。

虎豹之口。不如飢人。

太岳如市。人死如林。持金易粟。貴如黃金。

雖有千黃金。無如我斗粟。斗粟自可飽。千金何所直。

雖有神藥。不如少年。雖有珠玉。不如金錢。

梧宮秋。吳王愁。

磬神聖。戀光政。

欲求好婦。立在津口。婦立水傍。好醜自彰。

不服辟寒金。那得君王心。不服辟寒細。那得君王憐。

顛當顛當牢守門。蠮螉寇汝無處奔。

有書借人為嗤。借人書送還為嗤也。

朝亦飲酒醉。暮亦飲酒醉。日日飲酒醉。國計無取次。

金驢一鳴。天下太平。

王母甘桃。食之解勞。

一人在朝。百人緩帶。

踏梯摘茄子。把扇吃餛飩。

生怕赤真人。都來一夜春。

欲作千箱主。問取黃金母。

去了裏頭冰。卻得一段著腳琉璃。

無字歌。呵呵亦呵呵。哀哀亦呵呵。不似荷葉參軍子。

人人與箇拜口木。大作廳上假閻羅。

闌單帶。疊垛衫。肥人也覺瘦巖巖。

風流箭﹑中的人人願。

王羹亥未。相粥白玄黃。

冬青花。不落濕沙。

都荔遂芳。美磑鼓行。

公與守相駕蜚魚。往來倏忽遠熹娛。祐此兆民寧厥居。

春風尚蕭條。去故來入新。苦辛非一朝。折楊柳。

愁思滿腹中。歷亂不可數。

長白山前知世郎。純著紅羅綿背襠。長槊侵天半。

輪刀耀日光。上山喫獐鹿。下山喫牛羊。

忽聞官軍至。提刀向前盪。譬如遼東死。斬頭何所傷。

喝道一聲下階。齊脫了紅繡鞋。

陰涼陰涼過河去。日頭日頭過山來。

腳驢斑斑。腳踏南山。南山北斗。養活家狗。家狗磨麵。

三十弓箭。上馬琵琶。下馬琵琶。驢蹄馬蹄。縮了一隻。

牡丹紅。禾苗空。牡丹紫。禾苗死。

不怕水中魚。之怕岸上豬。豬過水。見糠止。

春寒四十五。貧兒市上舞。貧兒且莫誇。且過桐子花。

商陸子熟。杜鵑不哭。

早霞紅丟丟。晌牛雨瀏瀏。晚了紅丟丟。早晨大日頭。

官糧辦。便無飯。

樓梯天。晒破磚。

反賊劉千斤。贓官姚萬兩。

褒彈是買主。喝采是閑人。

服藥千裹。不如一宵獨臥。服藥千朝。不如獨臥一宵。

戊午已未甲子齊。便將七日定天機。七日有雨兩月泥。

七日無雨兩月灰。

甲寅乙卯晴。四十五日放光明。甲寅乙卯雨。

四十五日看泥水。

壬辰裝擔子。癸巳上天堂。甲午乙未雨茫茫。

執破無雨。危成當災。

二月杏華。勝可菑沙。

蝦蟆鳴。燕來睇。通道路。修溝隄。

傢欲熟。收欲速。

螃蟹怕見漆。豆花怕見日。

五月鋒。八月耩。

槐兔目。棗雞口。桑蝦蟆眼﹑榆負瘤。

榆莢脫。桑椹落。

花三泡四。

秧苗針水。莊家早起。

木再花。夏有雹。李再花。秋大霜。

草木暉暉。蒼黃亂飛。

蒼蠅不叮沒縫鴨子。

日間不作虧心事。夜半敲門不喫驚。

久旱逢甘雨。他鄉遇故知。洞房花燭夜。今榜掛名時。

寡婦攜兒泣。將軍被敵擒。失恩宮女面。下第舉人心。