諺語 · a single proverb
十年木樹，百年木人
Simplified: 十年木树，百年木人
What does 十年木樹，百年木人 (shí nián mù shù bǎi nián mù rén) mean?
十年木樹，百年木人 (shí nián mù shù bǎi nián mù rén) is a folk proverb (yànyǔ 諺語). Word for word it reads "ten years to grow a tree, a hundred years to cultivate a person." In use it means: People take far longer to develop than anything else; human cultivation is the longest and most important investment. 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 Dog.
Literally: "ten years to grow a tree, a hundred years to cultivate a person."
The reading
The tree grows without instruction. The person does not. A tree needs soil, water, sun. A person needs all of those plus conversation, correction, example, patience, failure, recovery, and someone who believes in them longer than they believe in themselves. A hundred years is not literal. It is a way of saying: this is the work that never stops being worth doing.
What kind of proverb it is
Source Guanzi 管子, Quan Xiu 權修 (variant of 百年樹人)
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 Home, Family & Roots, or follow the years these lines belong to: Year of the Dog, Year of the Rat, and Year of the Ox.
Questions
Is 十年木樹，百年木人 a real Chinese proverb?
Yes. 十年木樹，百年木人 (shí nián mù shù bǎi nián mù rén) is a folk proverb (yànyǔ 諺語), and it comes from Guanzi 管子, Quan Xiu 權修 (variant of 百年樹人). 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 十年木樹，百年木人?
In Mandarin it is shí nián mù shù bǎi nián mù rén. Read the pinyin above each character to follow the tones, or press the speaker beside the calligraphy to hear your browser read 十年木樹，百年木人 aloud in Mandarin.