What is the purpose of the proverbs used by the author in the novel, Young Fu of the Upper Yangtze?

One striking, stylistic feature of the novel is Lewis' frequent use of proverbs, such as "He who rides on a tiger cannot dismount when he pleases" and "You are like a man who sits at the bottom of a well and boasts about his knowledge of the world." These proverbs serve not only to give the flavor of Chinese folk wisdom, but to pinpoint the book's principal moral lessons, rendering in succinct form the knowledge that comes with maturity.