Zǎnqián hǎobǐ zhēn tiāo tǔ; bài jiā yóurú shuǐ tuī shā.

攢錢好比針挑土, 敗家猶如水推沙。

Lit Accumulation of money is [as slow] as picking up soil with a needle, [while the] ruination of a family is just as [fast as] water washing away the sands.

Fig It takes years of painstaking effort to build up a family's fortune, but it can all be lost overnight.

Note [Note: the first word can be pronounced either zǎnqián “to save money,” or cuánqián, “to piece together small sums of money”; see also chénglì zhī nán above.]

Topics CAUTION cuánqián MONEY RUIN TIME WEALTH zǎnqián