刀不磨要生锈,人不学要落后 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 knife; old coin; measure
不 bù no, not; un-; negative prefix
磨 mó grind; polish; rub; wear out; a millstone
要 yào necessary, essential; necessity
生 shēng life, living, lifetime; birth
锈 xiù rust, corrode
人 rén man; people; mankind; someone else
不 bù no, not; un-; negative prefix
学 xué learning, knowledge; school
要 yào necessary, essential; necessity
落 luò fall, drop; net income, surplus
后 hòu queen, empress, sovereign; (simp. for 後) behind, rear, after