俗话说…
as the saying goes …: how to bring a proverb in
Structure
俗话说／常言道／老话说得好 ， “名句” ， 自己的结论
What it means
'As the saying goes …': brings in a well-known saying or proverb to back up your point.
How it is built
Opener + the saying (often in quotation marks) + your own conclusion: 俗话说，“远亲不如近邻”，有事还得靠邻居 (as they say, a near neighbour beats a distant relative).
When to use it
俗话说 and 老话说得好 are everyday; 常言道 is a little bookish. Others: 正所谓… (this is what is meant by …), 古人云… (the ancients said; formal, often playful in speech), 有句话叫… (casual).
Watch out
These openers bring in a fixed folk saying, not your own idea or a named person's quote (for that: 某某说过…). Follow the saying with your own point, or it just hangs there.
Examples
俗话说得好：“三个臭皮匠，顶个诸葛亮。”
As the saying well puts it: “Three cobblers equal one Zhuge Liang.”
常言道，远亲不如近邻，有事还得靠邻居帮忙。
As they say, a near neighbour beats a distant relative; when something happens you rely on the neighbours.
Learn this in Lesson 211 · HSK 9+: 俗语、谚语与歇后语 (Sayings, proverbs and two-part riddles)
A dialogue, a reading, word cards with audio and a drill that uses it, in Learn Chinese with Bao. The first lessons of every level are free.
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