馬無夜草不肥，人無外快不富 mǎ wú yè cǎo bù féi ， rén wú wài kuài bù fù

DEFINITIONS

  1. a horse cannot get fat without an extra ration, a man cannot get rich without an extra income (idiom)

CHARACTERS

馬 mǎ horse; surname; KangXi radical 187
無 wú negative, no, not; lack, have no
夜 yè
HSK 5
night, dark; in night; by night
草 cǎo
HSK 3
grass, straw, thatch, herbs
不 bù
HSK 1
no, not; un-; negative prefix
肥 féi
HSK 4
fat, plump, obese; fertile
人 rén
HSK 1
man; people; mankind; someone else
無 wú negative, no, not; lack, have no
外 wài
HSK 2
out, outside, external; foreign
快 kuài
HSK 2
rapid, quick, speedy, fast; soon
不 bù
HSK 1
no, not; un-; negative prefix
富 fù
HSK 4
abundant, ample; rich, wealthy