Yào xiǎng guò hé, xiān dāqiáo.

要想過河, 先搭橋。

Lit [If you] want to cross the river, first build a bridge.

Fig If you want to succeed, you must first make adequate preparations or connections.

Note [Note: dāqiáo, (lit) “to build a bridge,” can also mean “to act as a go-between.”]

Topics PREPARATION SUCCESS