刀不磨要生锈，人不学要落后

Traditional form:

刀不磨要生銹，人不學要落後

Pinyin (reading):

dāobùmóyàoshēngxiù,rénbùxuéyàoluòhòu

Definitions:

• (idiom) a blade will get rusty if it is not sharpened; a man will fall behind if he doesn't study

Characters:

• 刀 - knife; old coin; measure
• 不 - no, not, un-; negative prefix
• 磨 - millstone; to grind, to polish, to rub, to wear out
• 要 - essential, necessary; to ask for; to coerce; to demand
• 生 - life, lifetime; birth; growth
• 锈 - to rust, to corrode
• 人 - man, person; people
• 不 - no, not, un-; negative prefix
• 学 - learning, knowledge, science; to study, to go to school; -ology
• 要 - essential, necessary; to ask for; to coerce; to demand
• 落 - to fall, to drop; surplus, net income
• 后 - after; behind, rear; descendants

Traditional characters:

• 刀 - knife; old coin; measure
• 不 - no, not, un-; negative prefix
• 磨 - millstone; to grind, to polish, to rub, to wear out
• 要 - essential, necessary; to ask for; to coerce; to demand
• 生 - life, lifetime; birth; growth
• 銹 - to rust, to corrode
• 人 - man, person; people
• 不 - no, not, un-; negative prefix
• 學 - learning, knowledge, science; to study, to go to school; -ology
• 要 - essential, necessary; to ask for; to coerce; to demand
• 落 - to fall, to drop; surplus, net income
• 後 - after; behind, rear; descendants