养兵千日，用兵一时

Traditional form:

養兵千日，用兵一時

Pinyin (reading):

yǎngbīngqiānrì,yòngbīngyīshí

Definitions:

• lit. Train an army for a thousand days to use it for an hour. (idiom); fig. extensive preparation eventually pays off

Characters:

• 养 - to raise, to rear, to bring up; to support
• 兵 - soldier; troops, an army; warlike
• 千 - thousand; many, numerous; very
• 日 - sun; day; daytime
• 用 - to use, to employ, to apply; use
• 兵 - soldier; troops, an army; warlike
• 一 - one; a, an; alone
• 时 - time, season; period, era, age

Traditional characters:

• 養 - to raise, to rear, to bring up; to support
• 兵 - soldier; troops, an army; warlike
• 千 - thousand; many, numerous; very
• 日 - sun; day; daytime
• 用 - to use, to employ, to apply; use
• 兵 - soldier; troops, an army; warlike
• 一 - one; a, an; alone
• 時 - time, season; period, era, age