• (yi-jian-shuang-diao) "Killing two vultures with one arrow"
    Fifteen centuries ago, a famous archer Zhangsun Cheng went hunting with a
    friend when they saw two vultures fighting for a piece of meat in mid air. His friend
    handed him two arrows and asked if he could shoot down both vultures. Cheng
    smiled, got his bow out, and killed both vultures with only one arrow. This story is
    the same as killing two birds with one stone.


  • (sha-ji-jing-hou) "Killing the chicken to frighten the monkeys"
    In ancient times, there was a man who raised pet monkeys, who over time
    became more and more naughty and started to destroy things around the house.
    The man finally decided to do something so he assembled the monkeys and said
    to them: "If you don¡¦t behave and stop causing trouble, you will end up like the
    rooster". Then he killed the rooster in front of the monkeys. Seeing this, the
    monkeys were frightened and became obedient thereafter. This story is used
    metaphorically to mean to frighten somebody by punishing someone else.


  • (re-guo-shang-de-ma-yi, tuan-tuan-zhuan) "An ant on a hot pot- circling around
    in panic"
    This saying is used to describe a situation where a person is anxious but
    undecided about something and he is like a dog circling around, chasing his tail.


  • (rou-ba-zi-da-gou, you-qu-wu-hui) " Throw a meat bun to a dog-by no means can
    be retrievable"
    This saying is used for a no-win situation where one's investment is doom to lose.
    Or as Americans would say: throw money into water. The meat bun here
    represents your investment and the dog here could be your business partner.


  • (dao-gao-yi-chi, mo-gao-yi-zhang)
    "The law is strong, but the outlaws are ten times stronger".
    This saying describes well one of the challenges foreign companies face when
    doing business in China. While foreign companies have to abide by local laws,
    Chinese businesses may take advantage of the grey area of the laws.


  • (er-ting-wei-xu, yan-jian-wei-shi)  "What you hear may be false but what you
    see is true" or "seeing is believing."
    Many Chinese business people may brag about their relationship with
    government officials or exaggerate their ability to do something. It's better to do
    a reality check. See for yourself first before you agree to anything.