刀不磨要生銹，人不學要落後 dāo bù mó yào shēng xiù ， rén bù xué yào luò hòu

DEFINITIONS

  1. a blade will get rusty if it is not sharpened; a man will fall behind if he doesn't study (idiom)

CHARACTERS

刀 dāo
HSK 4
knife; old coin; measure
不 bù
HSK 1
no, not; un-; negative prefix
磨 mó
HSK 6
grind; polish; rub; wear out; a millstone
要 yào
HSK 2
necessary, essential; necessity
生 shēng
HSK 1
life, living, lifetime; birth
銹 xiù rust, corrode
人 rén
HSK 1
man; people; mankind; someone else
不 bù
HSK 1
no, not; un-; negative prefix
學 xué learning, knowledge; school
要 yào
HSK 2
necessary, essential; necessity
落 luò
HSK 4
fall, drop; net income, surplus
後 hòu behind, rear, after; descendents