工欲善其事，必先利其器 gōng yù shàn qí shì ， bì xiān lì qí qì

good tools needed for good work; prepare first

Word data

HSK Not in HSK
Frequency Unknown

Definitions

  1. 1. To do a good job, an artisan needs the best tools (idiom). Good tools are prerequisite to the successful execution of a job

Characters

Character Meaning
工 gōng HSK 1
work; labor; worker
欲 yù HSK 6
to desire; desire; to wish for
善 shàn HSK 5
good (virtuous); good at sth; benevolent
其 qí HSK 3
its; their; it (refers to sth preceding it)
事 shì HSK 2
matter; thing; affair
必 bì HSK 3
must; necessarily; certainly
先 xiān HSK 1
first; in advance; early
利 lì HSK 4
sharp; advantage; benefit
其 qí HSK 3
its; their; it (refers to sth preceding it)
器 qì HSK 5
device; tool; utensil