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養兵千日，用兵一時

简养兵千日，用兵一时 · 繁養兵千日，用兵一時

Mandarin · pinyin yǎng bīng qiān rì , yòng bīng yī shí

lit. Train an army for a thousand days to use it for an hour. (idiom); fig. extensive preparation eventually pays off

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Characters in this entry

養: yǎng · raise, rear, bring up; support
兵: bīng · soldier, troops
千: qiān · thousand; many, numerous; very; (Cant.) a cheater, swindler
日: rì · sun; day; daytime
用: yòng · use, employ, apply, operate; use
一: yī · one; a, an; alone
時: shí · time, season; era, age, period
养: yǎng · raise, rear, bring up; support
时: shí · time, season; era, age, period

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