諺語 · a single proverb

少shào壯zhuàng不bù努nǔ力lì，老lǎo大dà徒tú傷shāng悲bēi

Simplified: 少壮不努力，老大徒伤悲

shào zhuàng bù nǔ lì lǎo dà tú shāng bēi

What does 少壯不努力，老大徒傷悲 (shào zhuàng bù nǔ lì lǎo dà tú shāng bēi) mean?

少壯不努力，老大徒傷悲 (shào zhuàng bù nǔ lì lǎo dà tú shāng bēi) is a line of classical verse (shīcí 詩詞). Word for word it reads "young and strong not striving, old age only grief." In use it means: Those who do not work hard in youth can only grieve in old age. You reach for it when you want that idea in one breath, and the Wood note it carries is why we hand it to those born in the Year of the Rat.

Literally: "young and strong not striving, old age only grief."

The reading

The hands that are strong today will not always be strong, and the mind quickened by youth does not promise to stay quick. The effort not made in the season of capacity does not wait patiently for another season; it simply does not happen. Act now, while the tool is sharp.

What kind of proverb it is

Source Han Music Bureau 漢樂府·《長歌行》 (Cháng Gē Xíng, Long Song Ballad)

Sits beside

冰非一日之寒

bīng fēi yī rì zhī hán

Nothing reaches its current state overnight.

日積月累

rì jī yuè lěi

Through daily and monthly accumulation, great things are built.

滴水穿石

dī shuǐ chuān shí

Persistent effort can accomplish seemingly impossible things.

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 Rat, Year of the Ox, and Year of the Tiger.

Questions

Is 少壯不努力，老大徒傷悲 a real Chinese proverb?

Yes. 少壯不努力，老大徒傷悲 (shào zhuàng bù nǔ lì lǎo dà tú shāng bēi) is a line of classical verse (shīcí 詩詞), and it comes from Han Music Bureau 漢樂府·《長歌行》 (Cháng Gē Xíng, Long Song Ballad). It is living Chinese heritage, given here with per-character pinyin and its source so you can trust the line, not a phrase invented in English.

How do you pronounce 少壯不努力，老大徒傷悲?

In Mandarin it is shào zhuàng bù nǔ lì lǎo dà tú shāng bēi. Read the pinyin above each character to follow the tones, or press the speaker beside the calligraphy to hear your browser read 少壯不努力，老大徒傷悲 aloud in Mandarin.