Chinese symbol for “proverb”
谚语
yàn yǔ
Traditional: 諺語
proverb
The closest CC-CEDICT match for proverb is 谚语 (yàn yǔ), defined as: proverb.
Before using these characters for a tattoo, check them with a native speaker. Dictionary words often have several meanings, and the right choice depends on context.
Characters and stroke order
Traditional forms
Other Chinese words for “proverb”
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 谚 (諺) | yàn | proverb |
| 成语 (成語) | chéng yǔ | Chinese set expression, typically of 4 characters, often alluding to a story or historical quotation; idiom; proverb; saying; adage; 条 (tiáo),本 (běn),句 (jù) |
| 俗语 (俗語) | sú yǔ | common saying; proverb |
| 俗话 (俗話) | sú huà | common saying; proverb |
| 俗谚 (俗諺) | sú yàn | common saying; proverb |
Related words
Other words that share a character with 谚语.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 俗谚 (俗諺) | sú yàn | common saying; proverb |
| 农谚 (農諺) | nóng yàn | farmers' saying |
| 民谚 (民諺) | mín yàn | folk saying; proverb |
| 古谚 (古諺) | gǔ yàn | ancient proverb; old saying |
| 俚谚 (俚諺) | lǐ yàn | common saying; folk proverb |
| 语言 (語言) | yǔ yán | language; 门 (mén),种 (zhǒng) |
| 语音 (語音) | yǔ yīn | speech sounds; pronunciation |
| 标语 (標語) | biāo yǔ | written slogan; placard |
See also: Japanese symbol for “proverb”.
Data: CC-CEDICT (CC BY-SA 4.0); Unihan Database (Unicode License v3); Make Me a Hanzi (Arphic Public License (graphics.txt); LGPL-3.0-or-later (dictionary.txt)); wordfreq (CC BY-SA 4.0 (data)). Retrieved 2026-10-22.