少shǎo年nián不bù努nǔ力lì,，老lǎo大dà徒tú傷shāng悲bēi

What does 少年不努力，老大徒傷悲 (shǎo nián bù nǔ lì, lǎo dà tú shāng bēi) mean?

少年不努力，老大徒傷悲 (shǎo nián bù nǔ lì, lǎo dà tú shāng bēi) is a line of classical verse (shīcí 詩詞). Word for word it reads "If the young do not strive, the old will grieve in vain." In use it means: Failing to work hard and save in youth leads to poverty and regret in old age. The time for building wealth is when you have the energy to do so. You reach for it when you want that idea in one breath, and the Water note it carries is why we hand it to those born in the Year of the Pig.

Literally: "If the young do not strive, the old will grieve in vain.."

The reading

Youth feels infinite until it is gone, and then the loss is irreversible. The young person who saves a little each month is buying freedom for their future self. Regret is the most expensive thing a person can own. Time is the only raw material that cannot be purchased at any price. Those who waste their productive years learning no trade and saving no coin write their own tragedy.

What kind of proverb it is

• Typeshīcí 詩詞
• FocusLooks ahead
• Element水 Water
• Zodiac tie豬 Year of the Pig

Source Long Song Ballad (長歌行), Han dynasty yuefu folk poem

Sits beside

Keep reading

Return to the Proverb Pond to draw another of the eighty-seven, or hear one read aloud. Read the rest of its chapter in Perseverance & the Long Road, or follow the years these lines belong to: Year of the Pig, Year of the Rat, and Year of the Ox.