迟开的花未必不香
A late-blooming flower is not necessarily devoid of fragrance
A person who becomes famous late in life is not necessarily lacking achievements. 
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干活不由东累死也无功
Working without obeying the boss, though exhausting (literally: tiring to death), will bring no achievements
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赐子千金不如教子一艺
Better teach your son a profession rather than give him a thousand pieces of gold
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功到自然成
He who reaches achievements will naturally succeed
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如日中天
Like the sun at noon
At the height of power or career
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下山容易上山难上得山来景更宽
It is easy to descend a mountain [and] difficult to climb one; but after climbing it, the scenery expands
One should make an effort in order to succeed, but once one succeeds, his vision expands and his horizon widens.
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一臣不事二主
One minister cannot serve two lords
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心坚石也穿
A determined heart can pierce a stone
A determined person can realize every aspiration
The same idea is expressed in the idiom:
水能穿石
Water can pierce a stone
With persistence, one can change things.
In the Bible it is written:
אבנים שחקו מים (איוב, י"ד , 19).
The waters wear the stones. (Job 14,19)
Another version:
滴水石穿
Dripping water pierces a stone
With constant efforts, one can overcome any difficulty; perseverance brings success.
In Italian they say:
A goccia a goccia s'incava la pietra.
Literally: Drop after drop erode the stone.
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斧快不怕木柴硬
Literally: A sharp axe is not afraid of hard firewood.
A talented person is not afraid of a difficult mission.
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扁担是条龙一生吃不穷
A carrying pole is [like] a dragon [that one can count on to provide him with] food throughout a lifetime
One should count only on one's own efforts, to earn a living.
This was a common saying among porters in China
A parallel idiom in Hebrew:
אם אין אני לי מי לי )פרקי אבות א, יד).
Literally: If I am not for myself, who will be for me ? (Pirkei Avot, 1, 14)
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吃了三天素就想上西天
Literally: Three days eats vegetarian food, and expects to rise to the Western Paradise (in other words, expects to become Buddha).
One cannot reach achievements or become famous without hard work.
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上天下地
Literally: ascends to heaven and descends to earth.
Turns every stone, does not spare any effort.
This idiom also means:
Everywhere
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守株待兔
Keeps watching a tree while waiting for rabbits
Counts on luck instead of making an effort to reach achievements.
This is based on the following story told by the philosopher Han Feizi 韩非子 (280-233 BCE):
A young man from the State of Song 宋, who was working the land, saw a hare running fast, dash itself against a tree in the field, and fall dead at his feet. All that was left for him to do was to put the hare in the sack and prepare a tasty evening meal. From then on he would sit by that same tree, waiting in vain for another hare to dash itself against it. This never happened. Instead, he was ridiculed by the people of the State of Song
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吃力不赚钱赚钱不吃力
He who works hard does not earn [a lot of] money; he who earns [a lot of] money does not work hard
This was said of businessmen in China
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图小利大事不成
He who plans small profits will not achieve great achievements
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不撒大网不得大鱼
He who will not spread a big net will not fish big fish
Without great efforts and pain, one does not achieve significant achievements.
In English they say:
No pain, no gain.
练不成就怕心不恒
Do not worry about not doing things perfectly; be worried about not persevering
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不怕路长只怕志短
Literally: Do not be afraid of a long way but of a short ambition.
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大胆天下去得小心寸步难行
The bold can reach any place on earth (literally: under the sky) [whereas] the cautious cannot walk [even] one inch
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不怕慢就怕站
Do not be afraid of slowing down; you should rather be afraid of halting
Slow advancement ensures progress, whereas halting leads to failure.
Another version of the same idiom:
不怕慢只怕站; 不怕站，只怕转
Do not be afraid of slowing down, just be afraid of a halting; do not be afraid of a halting, just be afraid of withdrawal
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种瓜得瓜种豆得豆
Plant melons and you will get melons; plant beans and you will get beans
One reaps what one sows.
The same idea is found in the idiom:
一分耕耘一分收获
As much as you plow and weed, you will harvest
Working diligently will lead to success.
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骑驴找马
Literally: Seeks a horse while riding a donkey.
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志不可慢时不可失
Do not let your aspirations weaken [and] do not lose time
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豆腐好吃磨难推
Tofu is tasty but pushing the grindstone to produce it is hard
Good things are a product of hard work.
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地在人中事在人为
Literally: [The produce of] the land depends on man; [success in] things depends on man.
Everything depends on human effort.
Usually, only the second part of this idiom is used.
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熟能生巧
With practice one can learn the trick
With practice one can learn the trick
Practice makes perfect.
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能者多劳
The talented are usually busy
The talented are usually busy
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大器不可小用小器不可大用
One should not use [either] a big tool for a small task, [or] a small tool for a big task
Do not give either an insignificant mission to a person of great talent, or an important mission to a person of small talent.
The idea in the first part of the idiom is expressed also in the idiom:
牛鼎烹鸡
Cooking a chicken in a cauldron designated for an ox
To kill a fly with a big sword.
Originally, this meant, "using a big tool for a small job". Today it is used to describe giving a small insignificant task to a person of great talent.
The same idea is found in the idiom:
牛刀小试
To use a big knife for cutting a small thing
Giving a small insignificant task to a person of great talent.
This also means:
First and small exhibit of a master artist.
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废寝忘食
Neglects one's sleep and food
Said of a person who forgets to sleep and eat, wholly concentrated on his mission and determined to reach his target.
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牛马
Literally: Oxen and horses.
Said of those who work harder than beasts of burden.
The same idea is expressed in the idiom:
牛马不如的生活
Literally: Life of oxen and horses is preferable.
Said of a life of forced labor.
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人各有能有不能
Every person has things that he can do and those that he cannot do
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言必信行必果
One must stand by one’s words and be resolute in action until success is achieved
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九牛二虎
Literally: Nine oxen [and] two tigers.
Making a powerful effort.
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一个和尚挑水喝两个和尚抬水喝，三个和尚没水喝
[When] one Buddhist monk carries water on a pole he will have water to drink; [when] two Buddhist monks carry water together they will have water to drink; [when it comes to] three Buddhist monks, they will have no water to drink
Lack of personal initiation causes interdependence among people and, thus, the more people are involved, the less impressive the results.
In English they say:
Too many cooks spoil the broth
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半途而废
To stop in the middle of the way
To leave something incomplete.
.Half done is like nothing done
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手艺是活宝天下饿不倒
Working skills are a treasure for a lifetime [that makes it possible to live] anywhere without being hungry
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一只蜂酿不成蜜一颗米熬不成粥
One bee cannot produce honey; with one crumb of rice, one cannot cook porridge
This is said to emphasize the importance of teamwork.
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愚公移山
The old fool who moved mountains
With perseverance, nothing is impossible.
This is based on the following legend written by the Daoist philosopher Lie Zi 列子 (4th century BCE):
An old man lived opposite two mountains that blocked the way to his house. One day he called his family to help him move these mountains. Passersby, thinking that he was a fool, asked him how he would carry out his plan. The old "fool" answered that his family and the generations to come would work and, eventually, the mountains would be removed. He said that with every inch removed, the mountain would become smaller.
Mao Zedong used this idiom to encourage the Chinese people to fight the Japanese during the Second World War.
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