Chāi wū yī dài yān, qǐ wū sān dàn mǐ.

拆屋一袋煙, 起屋三擔米。

Lit [It needs only the time it takes to smoke] one packet of tobacco to level a house [to the ground, but it takes] three hundred catties of rice [to feed the workers to] build one.

Fig It is easy to destroy things but difficult to create them.

Note [Note: one dàn is a unit of measure equal to one hundred jīn, “catties,” or fifty kilograms; see also bǎinián chéngshì above.]

Topics catty CAUTION CREATION dàn DESTRUCTION HOUSES jīn