If the Chinese language learners have paid much attention to the proverbs in Chinese language, they must have found that the proverb is characterized by the short and brief form, the smooth pronunciation when reading as well as the meanings easy to understand and remember. Therefore, it is warmly welcomed and widely used by the general public. As a result, the students who are studying in Mandarin learning coursesare often demanded to learn and master some common and easy proverbs in class.

The proverb is based on the oral Chinese but much more concentrated and elegant than the oral language. For example, Chinese people say 早晨火烧云彩，当天有阴雨；晚上火烧云彩，转天是晴天 in oral language but it can be summarized as the proverb 早烧阴，晚烧晴. We can see that the proverb is not only brief and concise but neat and orderly in form and harmonious rhythm.

In addition, a variety of rhetorical modes are applied in the proverb such as analogy, personification and comparison and contrast. The most important point is that the abstract things are expressed through proverb, causing the thinking and association of the readers. Let’s take 三个臭皮匠，顶个诸葛亮 as an example which is to say the unity will produce powerful creation. Another frequently used proverb in daily life is 一寸光阴一寸金，寸金难买寸光阴.

Most proverbs indicate judgment or inference with strong and profound thought. They also reflect certain social phenomenon in ancient China. Since many proverbs are spread from the ancient China, some of them reflect the old thoughts such as 人为财死，鸟为食亡. Teachers should choose proper proverbs to explain when they teach Mandarin Chinese to reduce the negative influence to the learners.

For those proverbs highly summarized with the function of encouraging people and healthy thoughts, they can be used as the teaching materials such as 只要功夫深，铁杵磨成针. In addition, teachers should choose different type of proverbs to teach according to the different interest and learning purposes. In teaching process, much attention should be paid to the proper situations of using certain proverbs.