少壮不努力，老大徒伤悲
shào​zhuàng​bù​nǔ​lì​lǎo​dà​tú​shāng​bēi

if you are lazy in your youth, you will regret it in your old age

  1. 少壮 少壯 shào​zhuàng
    young and vigorous
    young and strong; youthful and full of energy
  2. 不 bù adverb
    not
    Negative adverb used before verbs, adjectives, and other adverbs to indicate negation; also used as a bound-form prefix to form terms with opposite meanings
  3. 努力 nǔ​lì verb
    to strive
    to make a great effort; to try hard; to exert oneself
  4. ， lǎo
    non-Chinese
  5. 老大 lǎo​dà
    old age
    (literary) old; of advanced age
  6. 徒 tú adjective
    in vain
    in vain; to no avail; for nothing; to be without result
  7. 伤悲 傷悲 shāng​bēi
    sad
    sad; sorrowful; often used in literary contexts to express deep mourning or regret