China confused over Ivanka Trump's 'proverb' tweet

Ivanka Trump posted the "proverb" ahead of her father's meeting with Kim Jong-un
Reuters
Alexandra Richards12 June 2018

Social media users in China were left scratching their heads after Ivanka Trump tweeted a "proverb" they did not recognise.

Donald Trump's daughter posted the quote on Monday ahead of her father's historic meeting with Kim Jong-un.

It read: “ 'Those who say it cannot be done, should not interrupt those doing it.’ - Chinese Proverb.”

Thousands of posts were shared on the Chinese social media platform Weibo by people who did not recognise the quote as a proverb.

Some thought she was referencing a similar quote by the Chinese philosopher Confucius which says: “Do not impose on others what you yourself do not desire.”

Many tried and failed to translate it from English to Chinese and suggested she had made it up.

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“It makes sense, but I still don't know which proverb it is," one person wrote.

Another person said: “She saw it in a fortune cookie at Panda Express."

“Ivanka made a 'Chinese proverb' and exhausted my friends in China,” one person wrote.

Ms Trump has previously come under fire for misquoting in her tweets. In 2013, she posted a quote which read: “Choose a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life,” and attributed it to Confucius. But according to experts the phrase was not Chinese.

She has accrued many fans in China. Her daughter, Arabella Kushner captured the hearts of many when she sang ballads in Mandarin and recited Chinese poetry in a video shown to President Xi Jinping during Donald Trump's visit to Beijing last year.

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