磨刀不误砍柴工 mó dāo bù wù kǎn chái gōng

DEFINITIONS

  1. lit. sharpening the axe won't make the wood-splitting take longer (idiom)
  2. fig. time invested in preparations is not lost
  3. a beard well lathered is half shaved

CHARACTERS

磨 mó
HSK 6
grind; polish; rub; wear out; a millstone
刀 dāo
HSK 4
knife; old coin; measure
不 bù
HSK 1
no, not; un-; negative prefix
误 wù
HSK 4
err, make mistake; interfere
砍 kǎn
HSK 5
hack, chop, cut, fell
柴 chái
HSK 5
firewood, faggots, fuel
工 gōng
HSK 1
labor, work; worker, laborer