Xiangqi proverbs

This is a translation/rewrite of a massive compilation of xiangqi proverbs. Everything that follows is translated from the original Mandarin.

It is virtually impossible to translate something as poetic, pithy and evocative as proverbs in a way that retains the intended meaning, the wordplay, the occasional rhyming, and the associated imagery. I have done my best to preserve as much of the sense of the proverbs as possible, and explaining any differences in translation with notes. All explanations of proverbs are my own, and not present in the original text.

The original text also uses the word for “chess” to mean xiangqi, as it of course does in Mandarin! I shall follow suit where it makes for a (subjectively) better translation.

The compilation of xiangqi proverbs

Xiangqi is a treasure of the Chinese people. In the vast 9,600,000 square-kilometer expanse of the nation, just how many xiangqi proverbs are there? Impossible for anyone to count. Ordinary proverbs came into being before the written word; xiangqi proverbs of necessity arose after the invention of the game, which still gives them over a thousand years of history! It is a pity that because they are so rooted in the milieu of the people, an overwhelming majority of these proverbs have been retained only by existing as mantras¹; how many others have been lost? It is truly difficult to imagine!

Xiangqi proverbs have withstood the vicissitudes of a thousand years and survived to the modern day – why is this so? This is because xiangqi proverbs, from the viewpoint of linguistic pragmatics, are the shining pearls of xiangqi language. In terms of refining meaning and form, xiangqi proverbs are the crystallised wisdom of the xiangqi sages who came before; they are the artistic sparks of the chess language! By word of mouth they have persisted in folk memory.

Not only do xiangqi proverbs possess the same qualities as regular proverbs, they also have their own peculiarities. Into merely 90 intersections and 32 pieces the whole world is condensed; the whole philosophy of life is condensed! Behold, for these proverbs convey meaning and illuminate reason, for they are indeed learned words.²

When talking about the nature of chess as an artistic pursuit, the proverbs tell us: The riverbank runs three fen wide, wisdom runs ten thousand zhang deep. （河界三分阔，智谋万丈深）

Xiangqi is a battle of wits: Chess is like war; moving pieces is as commanding soldiers. （象棋似布阵，点子如点兵）

What is the basic plan in chess? The proverb goes: Value your troops’ speed, strive to reach mate first. （兵贵神速，抢先入局） Xiangqi emphasises the notion of “first”/“the initiative”, as embodied in the proverbs:

• Sacrifice for the initiative. （弃子争先）
• Prefer losing a horse to losing the initiative. （宁失一马，不失一先）
• Winning is the one who takes both piece and initiative; losing is the one who takes the piece and yields initiative. （得子得先方为胜，得子失先方为输）

When talking about the movement of the pieces, the proverb says: Horses by two, elephants by four, cannons from over the mountain, chariots straight, kings in the castle, pawns don’t turn back once they leave. （马行日，象走田，炮隔山打，车走直线，将帅不出城，小卒一去不返乡）³

About the mentality of playing chess, the proverbs have this to say: Hasten not near a kill; seek victory through stability. （临杀勿急，稳中取胜）

When emphasising prudence, we also say: One incautious step is followed by ruin. （一招不慎，满盘皆输）

Xiangqi proverbs even describe the power of the chess pieces.

The chariot:

• A chariot frightens ten pieces. （一车十子寒）
  • Meaning that the chariot has enormous value. Ten pieces is a poetic exaggeration.
• There is no sunken moon against a central chariot. （车正永无沉底月）⁴
  • References the RC v R endgame. If the defending side’s chariot takes the central line and plays correctly, the attacking side cannot win; the winning method there is called “dredging the moon from the ocean bed”.

The horse:

• The horse imposes in all directions. （马有八面威风）
  • Meaning the horse is a strong piece. The original references the normal expression 八面威风, “to be imposing” literally from eight sides, which in turn references the horse’s maximum eight legal moves.
• The horse treads everywhere. （马蹬四方）
  • Again meaning the horse is a strong piece.
• A horse running rings needs no chariot. （马跳连环不用车）
  • A sufficiently strong horse can even be compensation for a chariot.
• The horse lands, the game ends. （马踩无棋）
  • Referring to a pattern where a single horse can paralyse the opponent’s king, winning. The horse can be a very potent attacker.

The cannon:

• Face a cannon straight, bad tidings await. （空头炮，凶恶难当）
  • One 空头跑, literally “vacant-head cannon”, is an enemy cannon in the central line vertically in front of your king with nothing in between. It is extremely difficult to defend against the ensuing attack, as the elephants and advisors cannot rise to the central line to defend.

The pawn:

• Pawn in the palace heart, poor king falls apart. （卒坐宫心，老帅发昏）
  • A pawn in the centre point of the palace practically paralyses the enemy king; mate will not be far off.

The king:

• When the king comes to fight, he brings the might of two. （老将出马，一个顶俩）⁵
  • The king has very strong attacking power, effectively acting like a rook against the enemy king. Even in the middlegame, use him!

When it comes to the impotence of the same pieces, yet more proverbs apply:

• Losing can only be blamed on late chariot development. （输棋只因出车迟）
  • Developing the chariots quickly is a key principle of the opening. Many losses can be traced back to slow chariot development leading to a passive, inferior middlegame.
• Passive chariot, poor game. （低头车，阵势虚）
  • Having a chariot with little scope is bad enough to affect the entire situation. In xiangqi, maximising the effectiveness of each piece, especially the chariots, cannot be understated.
• With a vexed horse, one is as good as dead. （马退窝心，不死也昏）
  • A “vexed horse” is a xiangqi term referring to a horse which is in one’s own palace centre. On that spot it gets in the way of the king and the advisors, and if pinned by a cannon, the resulting poor defensive shape can be fatal. “Vexed” chariots and cannons are also quite bad, but not as severe as vexed horses.
• A horse on the rim is dim. （马跳边，易被歼）
  • Equivalent to the western chess saying. A horse on the edge of the board has fewer prospects than in the centre, and indeed can be trapped and captured more easily by a chariot or edge pawn.
• A cannon lone unto the breach, makes no waves on the beach. （炮进冷苍，难兴风浪）
  • A single cannon heading into enemy territory with no support is rather impotent. The cannon in particular is poor at exerting its strength at close range, so any incursions into the enemy camp should be carefully considered.
• A lone cannon sounds not. （孤炮难鸣）
  • A cannon with nothing to act as its cannon mount is weak.
• A lone chariot and single cannon make empty noise. （单车寡炮瞎胡闹）
  • Although the combination of a chariot and a cannon appears to be a strong attacking force, in reality the two alone are insufficient to force a mate. In xiangqi, a general rule of thumb is that three pieces can constitute a mating force; attacking with two pieces is generally not enough.
• A high king risks all. （高将多危）
  • Leaving a king on the highest rank in the palace leaves it exposed and in danger from all sides, its advisors also unable to defend it from above.
• An old pawn does nothing. （老卒无功）
  • An “old pawn” is one which has been advanced all the way to the opponent’s back rank. It is poor at attack and easily dodged by the enemy king, being unable to move backwards. It is almost always better to keep it further back, maintaining the potential of advancing.

On the subject of whether the horse or cannon is superior, a proverb succinctly captures it in two phrases: Cannons over horses in the opening; horses over cannons in the endgame. （开局炮胜马，残局马胜炮）

Proverbs even dialectically describe the synergies between the pieces:

• First central cannon, next jump a horse. （当头炮，马来招）
  • A mnemonic for the first two moves of the game: 1. C2=5 followed by 2. H2+3. The sequence of attacking the opponent’s central pawn then defending your own has long been considered to be the strongest set of opening moves. It even works as Black!
• With a high advisor, fear not horse checks. （摆上羊角士，不怕马来将）
  • A “ram’s horn advisor” 羊角士 is one at the top corner of the palace. There, it can work to prevent enemy horse attacks by blocking it from jumping, especially to the dangerous spot forking the king and chariot’s starting squares.
• Horse and pawn struggle to break a full guard. （马卒难破士相全）
  • A typical summary of a theoretical endgame. Horse + pawn in general cannot break the defence of a full set of advisors and elephants. However, missing a single defensive unit gives the horse and pawn the edge, with many positions being a forced win with good technique. I think the lesson is twofold: one is that endgames can rest on a knife’s edge, and two is that endgames are important!
• Lacking an advisor, fear horses; lacking an elephant, fear cannons. （缺士怕马，缺相怕炮）
  • A mnemonic for judging material compositions. When missing an advisor, it becomes difficult to defend against horses (which are close-ranged pieces and can target the remaining advisor and king effectively); when missing an elephant, conversely it becomes difficult to defend against the long-ranged cannon, whereby the remaining advisors serve as cannon mounts and cramp the king, and the lone elephant is more easily picked off once pinned.
• Lacking an advisor, fear the chariot pair. （缺士怕双车）
  • In the same vein, two chariots can easily overwhelm a king and single advisor in the middlegame for mate. When the advisor pair has been broken, the defender could try to trade off at least one pair of chariots to avoid falling victim to such a crushing attack.

What should we avoid? Proverbs tell:

• Avoid having the elephant’s eye blocked. （象眼谨防塞）
  • Having the elephant’s eye blocked means that it cannot perform its defensive duties as well. Disruptive too is when the communication between the two elephants is blocked, leading to each one being targeted or worse yet, picked off.
• Horses fear lameness. （马怕蹩脚）
  • The horse can be blocked by pieces orthogonally adjacent to it, and indeed that is a good way for enemy pieces to restrict its movement. Allowing your horses to become blocked can be the start of a spell of passivity.
• Chariots spurn dangerous territory. （车不入险地）
  • However powerful the chariot may be, having it go into enemy territory, one must be careful not to let it get trapped.
• Fire not your cannons lightly. （炮勿轻发）
  • Capturing with a cannon into enemy territory should be considered carefully, since the cannon’s retreat is blocked by its mount. This is especially true in the opening, where capturing a pawn might not be worth the hassle and time spent moving the cannon back into safety.
• Senseless elephant flights are bad chess. （臭棋乱飞象）
  • (NB: I have trouble making this one sound right.) Moving an elephant randomly is not good chess. Misplacing an elephant in particular can cost three moves; one bad move, one to undo it, and one to correct it. Think carefully before moving the elephant pair.
• Don’t raise an advisor for nothing. （无事不支士）
  • The advisors are at the core of the defence, and thoughtlessly moving one can lead to problems. Raising an advisor to the top of the palace can interfere with other pieces on that rank. Even the simple choice of advancing the left or right advisor onto the palace centre can be a premature decision, allowing the opponent to see your formation and attack the left or right flank accordingly. Move advisors when the position calls for it, and keeping in mind the opponent’s piece positioning.
• The king disdains exposure. （将忌暴露）
  • The king is the most important piece: lose it and you lose the game. Protect him and do not leave him exposed!

What formations bring danger? Proverbs say:

• Linked chariots, stacked cannons, entrenched horse; thus in the city the king is lost. （连车重炮卧槽马，城里老将挨死打）
  • This proverb describes three potent attacking shapes. Linked chariots are the equivalent of doubled rooks in chess, supporting each other and forming a battery horizontally or vertically into the palace. Stacked cannons are the same with cannons instead of chariots; the front cannon pins two pieces while the rear cannon can jump and take the first piece. An entrenched horse （卧槽马）⁶ is one which is on the intersection forking the starting positions of the king and chariot, and it is a very common and powerful attacking position for the horse to be in.
• The chariot draws near, the horse rounds the corner, the king hasn’t long to live. （车临头，马挂角，老将活不了）
  • This proverb describes the coordination between chariot and horse for mate. This piece combination is an essential one to master, forming the basis of many, many different mating sequences, usually in conjunction with their friendly king. Of note is the description of the horse referencing an ideal attacking position: the high corner of the enemy palace. A 挂角马 or palace-corner horse is one of a number of positions for the horse with a name.
• Soldiers in the throne room spell the king’s doom. （小卒坐大堂，将帅活不长） A pawn that can safely enter the opponent’s palace is usually a sign of imminent mate.

What is to be said about the etiquette of the game? A proverb exhorts spectators: A gentlemen spectates in silence. （观棋不语真君子） As for the players, Virtuous is he who retracts no move played. （举棋不悔大丈夫）

And proverbs tell us not to be to attached to winning or losing:

• A win or a loss is a matter of course. （胜败乃兵家常事）
• Chess is just wood, just reset from a loss. （棋是木头块，输了再重摆）

And one xiangqi proverb even makes an astute observation on life: - The player is clouded, the observer is clear. （当局者迷，旁观者清） - One who directly works on a problem can often be either too invested in the task or too focused on the details; in contrast, an observer without the baggage can sometimes quickly see a new solution. When stuck on a problem, it can be good to take a step back and reconsider it from a fresh perspective.

Dear readers, would you not say that xiangqi proverbs capture the truths of the world?