寧欺白鬚公，莫欺少年窮

Chinese

		peaceful; rather; Ningxia (abbrev.)	take unfair advantage of; to deceive; to cheat		just; honourable; public just; honourable; public; common; fair; duke; mister		do not; there is none who	take unfair advantage of; to deceive; to cheat	early youth; juvenile; youngster	exhausted; poor
trad. (寧欺白鬚公，莫欺少年窮)		寧	欺	白鬚	公	，	莫	欺	少年	窮
simp. (宁欺白须公，莫欺少年穷)		宁	欺	白须	公	，	莫	欺	少年	穷

Etymology

Originally Cantonese. First attested in the vernacular novel 廿載繁華夢 by Huang Shizhong (黃世仲／黄世仲) from Panyu, Guangdong.

Pronunciation

• Mandarin

  (Pinyin): nìng qī báixū gōng, mò qī shàonián qióng, níng qī báixū gōng, mò qī shàonián qióng

  (Zhuyin): ㄋㄧㄥˋ ㄑㄧ ㄅㄞˊ ㄒㄩ ㄍㄨㄥ , ㄇㄛˋ ㄑㄧ ㄕㄠˋ ㄋㄧㄢˊ ㄑㄩㄥˊ, ㄋㄧㄥˊ ㄑㄧ ㄅㄞˊ ㄒㄩ ㄍㄨㄥ , ㄇㄛˋ ㄑㄧ ㄕㄠˋ ㄋㄧㄢˊ ㄑㄩㄥˊ

• Cantonese (Jyutping): ning⁴ hei¹ baak⁶ sou¹ gung¹, mok⁶ hei¹ siu³ nin⁴ kung⁴

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• Mandarin
  • (Standard Chinese, Mainland)⁺
    • Hanyu Pinyin: nìng qī báixū gōng, mò qī shàonián qióng
    • Zhuyin: ㄋㄧㄥˋ ㄑㄧ ㄅㄞˊ ㄒㄩ ㄍㄨㄥ , ㄇㄛˋ ㄑㄧ ㄕㄠˋ ㄋㄧㄢˊ ㄑㄩㄥˊ
    • Tongyong Pinyin: nìng ci báisyu gong, mò ci shàonián cyóng
    • Wade–Giles: ning⁴ chʻi¹ pai²-hsü¹ kung¹, mo⁴ chʻi¹ shao⁴-nien² chʻiung²
    • Yale: nìng chī bái-syū gūng-, mwò chī shàu-nyán chyúng
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: ninq chi bairshiu gong, moh chi shawnian chyong
    • Palladius: нин ци байсюй гун, мо ци шаонянь цюн (nin ci bajsjuj gun, mo ci šaonjanʹ cjun)
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /niŋ⁵¹ t͡ɕʰi⁵⁵ paɪ̯³⁵ ɕy⁵⁵ kʊŋ⁵⁵ mu̯ɔ⁵¹ t͡ɕʰi⁵⁵ ʂɑʊ̯⁵¹ ni̯ɛn³⁵ t͡ɕʰi̯ʊŋ³⁵/
      
  • (Standard Chinese, Taiwan)⁺
    • Hanyu Pinyin: níng qī báixū gōng, mò qī shàonián qióng
    • Zhuyin: ㄋㄧㄥˊ ㄑㄧ ㄅㄞˊ ㄒㄩ ㄍㄨㄥ , ㄇㄛˋ ㄑㄧ ㄕㄠˋ ㄋㄧㄢˊ ㄑㄩㄥˊ
    • Tongyong Pinyin: níng ci báisyu gong, mò ci shàonián cyóng
    • Wade–Giles: ning² chʻi¹ pai²-hsü¹ kung¹, mo⁴ chʻi¹ shao⁴-nien² chʻiung²
    • Yale: níng chī bái-syū gūng-, mwò chī shàu-nyán chyúng
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: ning chi bairshiu gong, moh chi shawnian chyong
    • Palladius: нин ци байсюй гун, мо ци шаонянь цюн (nin ci bajsjuj gun, mo ci šaonjanʹ cjun)
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /niŋ³⁵ t͡ɕʰi⁵⁵ paɪ̯³⁵ ɕy⁵⁵ kʊŋ⁵⁵ mu̯ɔ⁵¹ t͡ɕʰi⁵⁵ ʂɑʊ̯⁵¹ ni̯ɛn³⁵ t͡ɕʰi̯ʊŋ³⁵/
• Cantonese
  • (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)⁺
    • Jyutping: ning⁴ hei¹ baak⁶ sou¹ gung¹, mok⁶ hei¹ siu³ nin⁴ kung⁴
    • Yale: nìhng hēi baahk sōu gūng, mohk hēi siu nìhn kùhng
    • Cantonese Pinyin: ning⁴ hei¹ baak⁹ sou¹ gung¹, mok⁹ hei¹ siu³ nin⁴ kung⁴
    • Guangdong Romanization: ning⁴ héi¹ bag⁶ sou¹ gung¹, mog⁶ héi¹ xiu³ nin⁴ kung⁴
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /nɪŋ²¹ hei̯⁵⁵ paːk̚² sou̯⁵⁵ kʊŋ⁵⁵ mɔːk̚² hei̯⁵⁵ siːu̯³³ niːn²¹ kʰʊŋ²¹/

Proverb

寧欺白鬚公，莫欺少年窮

1. Do not look down on a young person for being poor

See also

• 寧欺白鬚公，莫欺鼻涕蟲／宁欺白须公，莫欺鼻涕虫