玉不琢，不成器

Chinese

		jade	not; no	to cut (gems)		to not grow up to be a talented or useful person
trad. (玉不琢，不成器)		玉	不	琢	，	不成器
simp. #(玉不琢，不成器)		玉	不	琢	，	不成器

Etymology

From the Book of Rites, Book 18 (《禮記·學記》):

玉不琢，不成器；人不學，不知道。是故古之王者建國君民，教學為先。 [Classical Chinese, trad.]

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玉不琢，不成器；人不学，不知道。是故古之王者建国君民，教学为先。 [Classical Chinese, simp.]

From: The Book of Rites, c. 4^th – 2^nd century BCE, translated based on James Legge's version

Yù bù zhuó, bù chéng qì; rén bù xué, bù zhī dào. Shìgù gǔ zhī wáng zhě jiàn guó jūn mín, jiào xué wèi xiān. [Pinyin]

The jade uncut will not form a vessel for use; and if men do not learn, they do not know the way (in which they should go). On this account the ancient kings, when establishing states and governing the people, made instruction and schools a primary object.

Pronunciation

• Mandarin

  (Pinyin): yù bù zhuó, bù chéng qì

  (Zhuyin): ㄩˋ ㄅㄨˋ ㄓㄨㄛˊ , ㄅㄨˋ ㄔㄥˊ ㄑㄧˋ

• Cantonese (Jyutping): juk⁶ bat¹ doek³, bat¹ sing⁴ hei³
• Southern Min

  (Hokkien, POJ): gio̍k put tok, put sêng khì

  (Teochew, Peng'im): ghêg⁸ bug⁴ dog⁴, bug⁴ sêng¹ ki³

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• Mandarin
  • (Standard Chinese)⁺
    • Hanyu Pinyin: yù bù zhuó, bù chéng qì
    • Zhuyin: ㄩˋ ㄅㄨˋ ㄓㄨㄛˊ , ㄅㄨˋ ㄔㄥˊ ㄑㄧˋ
    • Tongyong Pinyin: yù bù jhuó, bù chéng cì
    • Wade–Giles: yü⁴ pu⁴ cho², pu⁴ chʻêng² chʻi⁴
    • Yale: yù bù jwó-, bù chéng chì
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: yuh bu jwo, bu cherng chih
    • Palladius: юй бу чжо, бу чэн ци (juj bu čžo, bu čɛn ci)
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /y⁵¹⁻⁵³ pu⁵¹ ʈ͡ʂu̯ɔ³⁵ pu⁵¹ ʈ͡ʂʰɤŋ³⁵ t͡ɕʰi⁵¹/
• Cantonese
  • (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)⁺
    • Jyutping: juk⁶ bat¹ doek³, bat¹ sing⁴ hei³
    • Yale: yuhk bāt deuk, bāt sìhng hei
    • Cantonese Pinyin: juk⁹ bat⁷ doek⁸, bat⁷ sing⁴ hei³
    • Guangdong Romanization: yug⁶ bed¹ dêg³, bed¹ xing⁴ héi³
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /jʊk̚² pɐt̚⁵ tœːk̚³ pɐt̚⁵ sɪŋ²¹ hei̯³³/
• Southern Min
  • (Hokkien)
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī: gio̍k put tok, put sêng khì
    • Tâi-lô: gio̍k put tok, put sîng khì
    • IPA (Xiamen): /ɡiɔk̚⁴⁻³² put̚³²⁻⁴ tɔk̚³² put̚³²⁻⁴ siɪŋ²⁴⁻²² kʰi²¹/
    • IPA (Quanzhou): /ɡiɔk̚²⁴⁻² put̚⁵⁻²⁴ tɔk̚⁵ put̚⁵⁻²⁴ siɪŋ²⁴⁻²² kʰi⁴¹/
    • IPA (Zhangzhou): /ɡiɔk̚¹²¹⁻²¹ put̚³²⁻⁵ tɔk̚³² put̚³²⁻⁵ siɪŋ¹³⁻²² kʰi²¹/
    • IPA (Taipei): /ɡiɔk̚⁴⁻³² put̚³²⁻⁴ tɔk̚³² put̚³²⁻⁴ siɪŋ²⁴⁻¹¹ kʰi¹¹/
    • IPA (Kaohsiung): /ɡiɔk̚⁴⁻³² put̚³²⁻⁴ tɔk̚³² put̚³²⁻⁴ siɪŋ²³⁻³³ kʰi²¹/
  • (Teochew)
    • Peng'im: ghêg⁸ bug⁴ dog⁴, bug⁴ sêng¹ ki³
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī-like: ge̍k puk tok, puk seng khì
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /ɡek̚⁴⁻² puk̚²⁻⁴ tok̚² puk̚²⁻⁴ seŋ³³⁻²³ kʰi²¹³/

Proverb

玉不琢，不成器

1. One must be educated and endure trials to succeed.