The weeping of the candle is not in mourning for the moth: the dawn is at hand, and it is thinking of its own dark night.

The life of this transitory world is the expectation of death: to renounce life is to escape from the expectation of annihilation.

The roots of the aged palm tree exceed those of the young one; the old have a greater attachment to the world.

Formerly, people used to grieve over the departed, but in our days they grieve over the survivors.

Flowers and fruit are never combined in one place: it is impossible that teeth and delicacies should exist simultaneously.

The touchstone of false friends is the day of need: by way of proof, ask a loan from your friends.

The wave is ignorant of the true nature of the sea: how can the temporal comprehend the eternal?