磨刀不误砍柴工
Traditional form:
磨刀不誤砍柴工
Pinyin (reading):
módāobùwùkǎncháigōng
Definitions:
- lit. sharpening the axe won't make the wood-splitting take longer (idiom)
- fig. time invested in preparations is not lost
- a beard well lathered is half shaved
Characters:
- 磨 - millstone; to grind, to polish, to rub, to wear out
- 刀 - knife; old coin; measure
- 不 - no, not, un-; negative prefix
- 误 - error, fault, mistake; to delay
- 砍 - to hack, to chop, to cut, to fell
- 柴 - firewood, faggots, fuel; surname
- 工 - labor, work; laborer, worker
Traditional characters: