舍不得孩子套不住狼

Traditional form:

捨不得孩子套不住狼

Pinyin (reading):

shěbùdeháizitàobùzhùláng

Definitions:

• one who is not prepared to risk his child will never catch the wolf (proverb)
• (fig.) one who is unwilling to take risks will not achieve great things

Characters:

• 舍 - house, dwelling; to reside, to dwell; to abandon, to give up
• 不 - no, not, un-; negative prefix
• 得 - to obtain, to get, to acquire; suitable, proper; ready
• 孩 - baby, child; children
• 子 - son, child; seed, egg; fruit; small thing
• 套 - case, cover, envelope, wrapper
• 不 - no, not, un-; negative prefix
• 住 - to reside, to live at, to dwell, to lodge; to stop
• 狼 - wolf

Traditional characters:

• 捨 - house, dwelling; to reside, to dwell; to abandon, to give up
• 不 - no, not, un-; negative prefix
• 得 - to obtain, to get, to acquire; suitable, proper; ready
• 孩 - baby, child; children
• 子 - son, child; seed, egg; fruit; small thing
• 套 - case, cover, envelope, wrapper
• 不 - no, not, un-; negative prefix
• 住 - to reside, to live at, to dwell, to lodge; to stop
• 狼 - wolf