十年樹木,百年樹人 shí nián shù mù , bǎi nián shù rén

DEFINITIONS

  1. It takes ten years to nurture a tree, but a hundred years to train a man (idiom). A good education program takes a long time to develop.

CHARACTERS

十 shí ten, tenth; complete; perfect
年 nián year; new-years; person's age
樹 shù tree; plant; set up, establish
木 mù tree; wood, lumber; wooden
百 bǎi one hundred; numerous, many
年 nián year; new-years; person's age
樹 shù tree; plant; set up, establish
人 rén man; people; mankind; someone else