一年之計在於春
简 一年之计在于春 · 繁 一年之計在於春Meanings
- the whole year must be planned for in the spring (idiom)
- early planning is the key to success
Characters in this entry
- 一
- yī · one; a, an; alone
- 年
- nián · year; new-years; person's age
- 之
- zhī · marks preceding phrase as modifier of following phrase; it, him her, them; go to
- 計
- Look up this written character
- 在
- zài · be at, in, on; consist in, rest
- 於
- yú · yū · in, at, on; interjection alas!
- 春
- chūn · spring; wanton
- 计
- jì · plan, plot; stratagem; scheme
- 于
- yú · in, on, at; go to; surname
Explore the spelling
Mandarin tones
1–2–1–4–4–2–1 · yi1 nian2 zhi1 ji4 zai4 yu2 chun1
Compare attested words with these syllables ↗Dictionary tones. Connected speech can change their realization.
Connected dictionary
Read this spelling in Classical texts
Follow a written form into the eight pinned witnesses: Analects, Mencius, Laozi, Zhuangzi, Xunzi, Han Feizi, Sunzi and the Mao Shijing. A match is a place to investigate; it does not prove that a modern dictionary sense fits the passage.
一年之計在於春 · find source passages ↗ · 一年之计在于春 · find source passages ↗
Compare dictionary sources Wiktionary · 1 sense · 1 Cantonese reading
Rime Cantonese 粵拼
jat1 nin4 zi1 gai3 zoi6 jyu1 ceon1
Cantonese word readings for 一年之計在於春. This lexicon supplies readings, not definitions.
CanCLID contributors · CC BY 4.0 · source & license · Data pack
Wiktionary English definitions · Chinese section
Independent source senses for this spelling, with usage labels retained. Not matched to the pronunciation above.
proverb
- (abbreviation, alt-of) short for 一年之計在於春，一日之計在於晨／一年之计在于春，一日之计在于晨 (yī nián zhī jì zàiyú chūn, yī rì zhī jì zàiyú chén, “early planning is the key to success”)
Source page · dump 2026-09-02 · Contributors & history
Wiktionary contributors · CC BY-SA 4.0 · source & license · Data pack