Chinese Proverbs Illustrated: The Wisdom of Cheng-Yu is a beautifully curated collection of proverbs (Cheng-yu) translated by James Trapp and published as part of a series of Chinese bound classics. Due out 14th April (14 May outside the UK) from Amber Books, it's 160 pages and will be available in hardcover with a traditional sewn binding.

This is a well illustrated group of 80 Cheng-yu (proverbs), with Chinese characters, English transcription, and an accessible explanation of the proverb.The English translation work is seamless and subtly/pleasingly wrought; understandable and accessible, but also nuanced.

Five stars. This would be an excellent choice for public or school library acquisition, home reference, and gift purposes.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

So very interesting. Great layout, simplified and easy to read. Would love to see a physical copy with the traditional Chinese binding.

This wasn't quite what I was expecting but I thought it was amazing! Having never heard of cheng-yu before I had no idea what they were going into this book (I'll be honest, I'd assumed it was a person) so I'd been expecting a book all about Chinese wisdoms and sayings, but not quite like this. I loved the layout of the cheng-yu and how they're presented, both in general and how this book was displayed. A cheng-yu is a series of 4 Chinese characters that is used to represent a saying, often coming from a story or parable, that has some idiom-like meaning/teaching to it. Having the cheng-yu take up so much of the page and in red too made it the focus of those pages which I loved, and then the explanation was smaller to allow you to understand without distracting from the actual cheng-yu. I also really loved the pronunciations so you could try to "read" the cheng-yu in your head more accurately rather than staring at what for a lot of people would sadly be completely indecipherable symbols. I wasn't expecting each one to have an English idiom equivalent but I liked it because it made it easier for us to understand the meaning quickly before reading the story and seeing where it came from. And those stories were fascinating! I knew very little about Chinese history before reading this but I definitely feel like I know more now without this book being heavily history-based and a hard read.
I read an eBook so I can't comment on the binding of the physical copy but there was a bit of information at the start of the book about how it's been bound in the traditional Chinese way and I couldn't quite picture it in my head from the explanation but it sounds really cool and I think it's a lovely idea! I'd love to see a physical copy.

When I took a class in Chinese history, my professor "cheated" by exposing us to a lot of Chinese culture, too. While I really enjoyed the language aspects of this book, I would give it 5 stars just for the artwork. The proverbs are fascinating -- we get to see the characters, a literal translation, and an explanation with the proverb itself. This would be a fantastic coffee table book, a gift, and/or a resource in a culture, language or history class. Thanks to NetGalley for letting me read this

A wonderfully illustrated book that makes these proverbs more accessible to readers unfamiliar with them. I like that the author included not only the original Chinese characters, the pronunciation, the idiomatic and literal meanings, but also that they included some context around the proverbs and historical imagery. 4/5 Stars

thank you for allowing me to review this book!

this is very interesting for anyone who would like to understand a little more about Chinese culture. i also think that people who are studying chinese will benefit well from this book, since they show the characters and very clear meaning behind them. the illustrations are also beautiful and helped me understanding each meaning very well. it's a short and simple read, but still rather fun.

This was a very quick read but each proverbs were interesting. Chinese culture has always interests me because it is vast and there's a lot to discover about it. The illustrations were simple and the book is very direct to the point.

This is a beautiful edition which displays proverbs in a way showing the traditional way in which they are written, followed up with how to pronounce them in english through english spelling and an interesting history on how the proverb came to gain it's meaning. These were fascinating to read. Accompanied by photographs linking the proverbs to their backstory, this is a beautiful collection to look back on time and time again.

this is a great read ! especially to those who loves to learn more about China and Chinese culture. this one was definitely helpful in providing examples and short stories for the readers to better understand the meaning of each word. it also has a “literal meaning” and an “idiomatic meaning” which i find extremely interesting. Chinese literature has recently been added to my girlfriend’s courses and I do think this will be super helpful for them :)) highly recommend !

The Chinese culture has always been very interesting to me so.when I saw this book, I knew I had to read it. The stories are beautifully presented and the photos enhance the text very well. It was fun to learn that as Americans we share some of the same proverbs. The idioms are explained well and you learn the stories behind each of the sets of characters.

I bought the Art of War by Sun Tzu ( A New Translation) in Hardback from Amber Boooks years ago because my existing copy had worn out and I absolutely loved the presentation of this one (a beauty on my shelves) When I saw Chinese Proverbs illustrated, I absolutely jumped at the opportunity to request an arc! My mother is from Anshan and as such, I take huge delight in seeing Chinese classic literature becomming more popular

Having spent many an hour learning the beat and nuances of chinese poetry throught the years, idioms were always a reprieve for me, to keep the impetus going, but also to have a breather. Thisi book is wonderfully presented and perfectly translated. I like how there was a literal translation and an idiomatic meaning which will also help students of Mandarin

Whether learning a language, or just a lover of idioms, history or reference, this is a gorgeous volume

Thank you to NetGalley and Amber Books Ltd for this outstanding ARC. My review is left voluntarily and all reviews are my own

I have a Masters degree in Translation, so I’ve always been interested in different cultures and languages. This book is so interesting!! It explains the origins of the different characters/sayings and also has beautiful paintings and photos throughout the dynasties. The characters and stories are fascinating. This would be a great resource for a history class.

I received a free copy from NetGalley and Amber Books (thank you!) in exchange for my honest opinion.