“The tongue fights back because it is soft; the teeth break because they are hard.”

Chinese proverbs were born more than 3,000 years ago and are still valid because of the lessons they summarize in a few words. As with other maxims from different cultures, the public in the United States has opened up to the teachings of philosophers and popular knowledge on the other side of the world.

These inspiring sentences are succinct, come from movements such as Taoism and Confucianism and have remained relevant to them Ability to simplify complex dilemmas.

The blog of the Hanyu Chinese School explains that there are different types of proverbs, the main ones being chéngyǔ, súyǔ and yànyǔ. The differences lie in their origin and composition in terms of Chinese characters.

The Chengyu have a story or anecdote that explains its meaning; Suyus has its origins in literature and is usually like that a literal and a figurative meaningand the Yanyu were born in the Popular culture.

This sentence offers reflection through a simple image about strength, flexibility and survival. His words contrast the tongue, a symbol of softness and conformity, with the teeth, a symbol of rigidity and apparent strength.

In this contrast, a moral teaching prevails the resistance of the flexible in the face of the fragility of the inflexible.

The tongue and teeth can be understood literally and symbolically. On a physical level, the two coexist in the mouth: the teeth are hard, firm and strong, and the tongue is soft, moist and adaptable.

Over time, teeth can chip, become worn, or be lost Despite its apparent fragility, language remains intact well into old age.

But language also represents the language, the word and, in a broader sense, that intelligence and diplomacy. Being “soft” in this context does not mean being weak, but rather knowing how to give in, communicate, and act thoughtfully. In contrast, teeth represent stubbornness, hardness of character or violence.

In this way it can be determined that the saying is inviting value inner flexibility and adaptability to the circumstances rather than clinging to a hardness that, if not bent, will eventually break.

In this way, this rather popular saying acquires new meanings in different areas, but retains its essence of contrasting the rigidity with the flexibility represented by the teeth and the tongue.