諺語 · a single proverb
十年樹木，百年樹人
Simplified: 十年树木，百年树人
What does 十年樹木，百年樹人 (shí nián shù mù bǎi nián shù rén) mean?
十年樹木，百年樹人 (shí nián shù mù bǎi nián shù rén) is a folk proverb (yànyǔ 諺語). Word for word it reads "ten years to grow a tree, hundred years to cultivate a person." In use it means: It takes a century to properly raise and educate a person; education is a long-term 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 Ox.
Literally: "ten years to grow a tree, hundred years to cultivate a person."
The reading
The oak planted today will outlive the planter, and the lesson given today will outlive the lesson-giver. To invest in a person is to cast a shadow forward through time further than any single life can reach. This is the longest form of building.
What kind of proverb it is
Source Guanzi 管子·權修 (Quán Xiū chapter)
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 Wisdom & Learning, or follow the years these lines belong to: Year of the Ox, Year of the Frog, and Year of the Rat.
Questions
Is 十年樹木，百年樹人 a real Chinese proverb?
Yes. 十年樹木，百年樹人 (shí nián shù mù bǎi nián shù rén) is a folk proverb (yànyǔ 諺語), and it comes from Guanzi 管子·權修 (Quán Xiū chapter). 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 十年樹木，百年樹人?
In Mandarin it is shí nián shù mù bǎi nián shù rén. Read the pinyin above each character to follow the tones, or press the speaker beside the calligraphy to hear your browser read 十年樹木，百年樹人 aloud in Mandarin.