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秋收万颗子

秋收萬顆子
qiū shōu wàn kē zǐ
quotation

Meanings

  1. 1 in autumn ten thousand seeds are harvested
  2. 2 a single seed in spring can yield a vast autumn harvest
  3. 3 lit. autumn harvests ten-thousand grains

Examples

HSK 7-9
春种一粒粟，秋收万颗子，却仍有农夫饿死。
Chūnzhòngyīlìsù, qiūshōuwànkēzǐ, què réng yǒu nóngfū è sǐ.
One millet seed planted in spring yields ten thousand in autumn, yet farmers still starve to death.
HSK 7-9
这句秋收万颗子常被引来讲农耕的回报。
Zhè jù qiūshōuwànkēzǐ cháng bèi yǐnlái jiǎng nónggēng de huíbào.
"In autumn ten thousand grains are harvested" is often cited to describe the return on farming.

Tips

history
From the Tang-dynasty poet Li Shen (李绅)'s 《悯农二首》, first poem: 春种一粒粟，秋收万颗子。四海无闲田，农夫犹饿死 - 'In spring one millet seed is planted; in autumn ten thousand grains are reaped. Within the four seas there is no idle field, yet farmers still starve to death.' One of the most politically pointed Tang poems, memorized in every Chinese elementary school.
usage
Almost always cited with its setup 春种一粒粟. 颗 is the measure word for small round things (seeds, pearls). The strongest rhetorical force comes from the ironic third and fourth lines about farmers starving.

Stroke Order

秋 qiū
收 shōu
万 wàn
颗 kē
子 zǐ