工欲善其事，必先利其器

Chinese

		work; worker; skill work; worker; skill; profession; trade; craft; labour	desire; longing; appetite desire; longing; appetite; wish	good	his; her; its his; her; its; theirs; that; such; it (refers to sth preceding it)	matter; thing; item matter; thing; item; work; affair		certainly; must; will certainly; must; will; necessarily	early; prior; former early; prior; former; in advance; first	advantage; benefit; profit advantage; benefit; profit; sharp	his; her; its his; her; its; theirs; that; such; it (refers to sth preceding it)	device; tool; utensil
trad. (工欲善其事，必先利其器)		工	欲	善	其	事	，	必	先	利	其	器
simp. #(工欲善其事，必先利其器)		工	欲	善	其	事	，	必	先	利	其	器
Literally: “If a workman wishes to do a good job, he must first sharpen his tools.”

Etymology

From the Analects, Book 15 (《論語·衞靈公》):

子貢問為仁。子曰：「工欲善其事，必先利其器。居是邦也，事其大夫之賢者，友其士之仁者。」 [Classical Chinese, trad.]

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子贡问为仁。子曰：「工欲善其事，必先利其器。居是邦也，事其大夫之贤者，友其士之仁者。」 [Classical Chinese, simp.]

From: The Analects of Confucius, c. 475 – 221 BCE, translated based on James Legge's version

Zǐgòng wèn wéi rén. Zǐ yuē: “Gōng yù shàn qí shì, bì xiān lì qí qì. Jū shì bāng yě, shì qí dàfū zhī xián zhě, yǒu qí shì zhī rén zhě.” [Pinyin]

Zigong asked about the practice of virtue.
The Master said, "The mechanic, who wishes to do his work well, must first sharpen his tools. When you are living in any state, take service with the most worthy among its great officers, and make friends of the most virtuous among its scholars."

Pronunciation

• Mandarin

  (Pinyin): gōng yù shàn qí shì, bì xiān lì qí qì

  (Zhuyin): ㄍㄨㄥ ㄩˋ ㄕㄢˋ ㄑㄧˊ ㄕˋ , ㄅㄧˋ ㄒㄧㄢ ㄌㄧˋ ㄑㄧˊ ㄑㄧˋ

• Cantonese (Jyutping): gung¹ juk⁶ sin⁶ kei⁴ si⁶, bit¹ sin¹ lei⁶ kei⁴ hei³

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• Mandarin
  • (Standard Chinese)⁺
    • Hanyu Pinyin: gōng yù shàn qí shì, bì xiān lì qí qì
    • Zhuyin: ㄍㄨㄥ ㄩˋ ㄕㄢˋ ㄑㄧˊ ㄕˋ , ㄅㄧˋ ㄒㄧㄢ ㄌㄧˋ ㄑㄧˊ ㄑㄧˋ
    • Tongyong Pinyin: gong yù shàn cí shìh, bì sian lì cí cì
    • Wade–Giles: kung¹ yü⁴ shan⁴ chʻi² shih⁴, pi⁴ hsien¹ li⁴ chʻi² chʻi⁴
    • Yale: gūng yù shàn chí shr̀-, bì syān lì chí chì
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: gong yuh shann chyi shyh, bih shian lih chyi chih
    • Palladius: гун юй шань ци ши, би сянь ли ци ци (gun juj šanʹ ci ši, bi sjanʹ li ci ci)
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /kʊŋ⁵⁵ y⁵¹⁻⁵³ ʂän⁵¹ t͡ɕʰi³⁵ ʂʐ̩⁵¹⁻⁵³ pi⁵¹ ɕi̯ɛn⁵⁵ li⁵¹ t͡ɕʰi³⁵ t͡ɕʰi⁵¹/
• Cantonese
  • (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)⁺
    • Jyutping: gung¹ juk⁶ sin⁶ kei⁴ si⁶, bit¹ sin¹ lei⁶ kei⁴ hei³
    • Yale: gūng yuhk sihn kèih sih, bīt sīn leih kèih hei
    • Cantonese Pinyin: gung¹ juk⁹ sin⁶ kei⁴ si⁶, bit⁷ sin¹ lei⁶ kei⁴ hei³
    • Guangdong Romanization: gung¹ yug⁶ xin⁶ kéi⁴ xi⁶, bid¹ xin¹ léi⁶ kéi⁴ héi³
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /kʊŋ⁵⁵ jʊk̚² siːn²² kʰei̯²¹ siː²² piːt̚⁵ siːn⁵⁵ lei̯²² kʰei̯²¹ hei̯³³/

Proverb

工欲善其事，必先利其器

1. One must have good tools in order to do a good job.