Proverb VS Saying VS Quote

 

一个外国朋友说,帮我看看这段话是否是出自中国…

Be careful of your thoughts, for your thoughts become your words.

Be careful of your words, for your words become your actions.

Be careful of your actions, for your actions become your habits.

Be careful of your habits, for your habits become your character.

Be careful of your character, for your character becomes your destiny.

对应的翻译是什么?是谁说的?或者哪本书里的?

我搜索了一番,发现搜英文原文的话,有网站说这是铁娘子的格言,有网站说这是甘地的格言,还有网站说这出自老子 Lao Tzu

对应的中文是什么呢?我忽然想起很多年前上过的一堂培训课上,美国培训师想要通过一段来自中国的格言来告诉我们这群中国学生“Learning by Doing”的重要性。他说,

“I hear and I forget, I see and I remember, I do and I understand.” - Confusious

课堂上虽然听懂了他要我们理解的东西,但是我非常好奇孔子所说的原文是什么。于是回去查找。查找半天,无果。一两年后,在逛网站时,发现了有人指出这其实是出自荀子的《儒效》 。 原文是:

“不闻不若闻之,闻之不若见之,见之不若知之,知之不若行之。”

我判断这么长一段话,应该是某篇文章里的?老庄?论语?都背不出…

先尝试”谨于言 行“搜索了一下,几乎都指向“谨言慎行”的出处《礼记 缁衣》中的:

君子道人以言而禁人以行,故言必虑其所终,而行必稽其所敝,则民谨于言而慎于行。

不太正确。我尝试将关键的几个词提取出来,

  • thought:思
  • words:言
  • action:行
  • habit:习
  • destiny:命

那么以”思,言,行,习,命“搜索,居然第一行就是360doc的一篇文章,题目是积思成言,积言成行,积行成习,积习成性,积性成命。这篇文章说这句格言出自铁娘子。呵呵。不过,这翻译太棒了!

再以这个句子来搜索,还是没有发现有具体哪篇文章的出处。突然想起,这位外国朋友,他用的是proverb,而不是quote。所以我在回复他对应的中文翻译时,问了一下他为什么没有用quote。他说如果是quote,一般来说可以google到,但是如果是谚语,就不一定了。

去查了一下我有时会混着用的三个单词:

proverb 谚语,格言

a short sentence, etc., usually known by many people, stating something commonly experienced or giving advice

saying 格言,警句,谚语

a well-known wise statement that often has a meaning that is different from the simple meanings of the words it contains

quote 引用,引述

to repeat the words that someone else has said or written