老大徒伤悲

老大徒傷悲

lǎodàtúshāngbēi

idiom

Meanings

1 in old age one can only grieve in vain
2 regret nothing can now be done when one is already old
3 a warning against wasting one's youth

Characters

wounded / grieved

Examples

年轻时不努力，老大徒伤悲。

Niánqīng shí bù nǔlì, lǎodà tú shāngbēi.

If you don't work hard in your youth, you'll only grieve in vain when you're old.

他终于明白少壮不努力、老大徒伤悲的道理。

Tā zhōngyú míngbái shào zhuàng bù nǔlì, lǎodà tú shāngbēi de dàolǐ.

He finally understood the saying: if you don't strive while young, you'll only lament when old.

Tips

history

The closing line of the Han-dynasty yuefu poem 《长歌行》 (Long Song Ballad): 百川东到海，何时复西归？少壮不努力，老大徒伤悲。 — 'All rivers flow east to the sea; when will they ever return west? If in youth and vigor you do not strive, in old age you will only grieve in vain.' Almost always cited together with the preceding line 少壮不努力.

usage

A classic exhortation to young students and workers. Often recited as the couplet 少壮不努力，老大徒伤悲. 徒 here means 'in vain / uselessly'.

Stroke Order

老 lǎo

大 dà

徒 tú

伤 shāng

悲 bēi