Yámen qián, yī péng yān; shēngyi qián, liùshí nián; zhòngtián qián, wànwàn nián.

衙門錢一蓬煙, 生意錢六十年, 種田錢萬萬年。

Lit [Ill-gotten] money [gained in the] magistrate's court [is spent as fast as a puff of] smoke [disperses]; money [earned by doing] business [lasts] sixty years [i.e., a lifetime]; money made by farming will last a hundred million years.

Fig Easy come, easy go, but hard won lasts forever. People who work hard for their money don't waste it.

Note [Rhyme.]

Topics BRIBERY BUSINESS FARMING MAGISTRATES MONEY WORK