Chinese allegories
歇后語
Two-part allegorical saying (of which the first part, always stated, is descriptive, while the second part, often unstated, carries the message)

jià chu qu de nǚ ér pō chu qu de shu? – shōu bù huí lái
嫁出去的女兒，潑出去的水 – 收不回來
A married daughter is like spilt water. – A married daughter is no longer a member of the family. Figuratively, it means something cannot be taken back.

hóu zi lāo yuè liang – kōng máng yī ch?ng
猴子撈月亮 – 空忙一場
Monkeys fish for the moon in the water. – make vain efforts; be busy for nothing

tù zi w?i ba – cháng bu li?o
兔子尾巴 – 長不了
The tail of a rabbit can't be long. – Something won't last long; Somebody's days are numbered.

lài há ma d? hā qiàn – h?o dà de k?u qi
癩蛤蟆打哈欠 – 好大的口氣
A toad yawns. – a gaping mouth (figuratively, talking big); it's often cited to ridicule a boastful person.

féi zào pào – bù gōng zì pò
肥皂泡 – 不攻自破
Soap bubble – burst by itself; collapse by itself

ji?o zi pò pí – lòu le xiàn
餃子破皮 – 露了餡
The dumping wrapper is broken. – Filling or stuffing is out. Figuratively, it means "to give the game away".

má què suī xi?o – wǔ zàng jù quán
麻雀雖小 – 五臟俱全
Small as a sparrow is, it has all the vital organs. – small but complete

y?u jiè y?u huán – zài jiè bù nán
有借有還 – 再借不難
Timely return of a loan makes it easier to borrow a second time. – Keeping one's promise is necessary if one wants to have smooth dealings with others.

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