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
HSK 1
ten, tenth; complete; perfect
年 nián
HSK 1
year; new-years; person's age
樹 shù tree; plant; set up, establish
木 mù
HSK 5
tree; wood, lumber; wooden
百 bǎi
HSK 2
one hundred; numerous, many
年 nián
HSK 1
year; new-years; person's age
樹 shù tree; plant; set up, establish
人 rén
HSK 1
man; people; mankind; someone else