莫待无花空折枝

莫待無花空折枝

mò dài wú huā kōng zhé zhī

quotation

Meanings

1 don't wait until there are no flowers and have to snap the empty branch
2 (fig.) seize youth / opportunity while it lasts - time and chances do not return
3 (lit.) don't wait-till no flower in-vain break branch

Characters

Examples

HSK 3

年轻时就要努力，莫待无花空折枝。

Niánqīng shí jiù yào nǔlì, mòdàiwúhuākōngzhézhī.

Strive while you are young - 'don't wait till the flowers are gone and break an empty branch.'

HSK 7-9

她劝朋友抓紧机会：花开堪折直须折，莫待无花空折枝。

Tā quàn péngyou zhuājǐn jīhuì: huākāikānzhézhíxūzhé, mòdàiwúhuākōngzhézhī.

She urged her friend to seize the chance: 'when the flower blooms, pluck it directly - don't wait till it's gone to snap a bare branch.'

Tips

history

Closing line of 杜秋娘《金缕衣》 (Du Qiuniang, attrib., Tang, c. 9th c.): 劝君莫惜金缕衣，劝君惜取少年时。花开堪折直须折，莫待无花空折枝 (I urge you not to treasure the gold-threaded robe; I urge you to treasure your youthful years. When the flower blooms and may be plucked, just pluck it - don't wait till it's gone to break the empty branch). Du Qiuniang was a Tang courtesan-turned-consort; the poem is both carpe-diem advice and a warning about wasted opportunity.

usage

空 here = classical 'in vain / to no purpose,' not 'empty' in the physical sense. 莫 = classical negative imperative ('don't'). Canonically preceded by 花开堪折直须折; the couplet is almost always cited as a pair.

Stroke Order

莫 mò

待 dài

无 wú

花 huā

空 kōng

折 zhé

枝 zhī