# 十年樹木，百年樹人
## Chinese

| | | ten years; decade | to grow trees | | it takes a long time for good education to bear fruit |
| trad. (十年樹木，百年樹人) | trad. (十年樹木，百年樹人) | 十年 | 樹木 | ， | 百年樹人 |
| simp. (十年树木，百年树人) | simp. (十年树木，百年树人) | 十年 | 树木 | ， | 百年树人 |

### Etymology

The proverb likely originates as a paraphrase of a quotation from Records of the Grand Historian (《史記·貨殖列傳》):
    居之一歲，種之以穀；十歲，樹之以木；百歲，來之以德。德者，人物之謂也。 [Classical Chinese, trad.]居之一岁，种之以谷；十岁，树之以木；百岁，来之以德。德者，人物之谓也。 [Classical Chinese, simp.]From: The Records of the Grand Historian, by Sima Qian, c. 91 BCEJū zhī yī suì, zhǒng zhī yǐ gǔ; shí suì, shù zhī yǐ mù; bǎi suì, lái zhī yǐ dé. Dé zhě, rénwù zhī wèi yě. [Pinyin]To plan for the next year, grow grains. For the next decade, plant trees. For the next century, cultivate the humanity that people admire. By humanity, we refer to what is in humans.
The 16th-century politician Sun Jigao (孫繼皐) wrote:
    夫一年樹榖，十年樹木，百年樹人，言育材也。 [Classical Chinese, trad.]夫一年树榖，十年树木，百年树人，言育材也。 [Classical Chinese, simp.]From: c. 16th century, Sun Jigao (孫繼皐), 《又贈郡大夫河南錢公應覲敘》, in 《宗伯集》Fú yī nián shùgǔ, shínián shùmù, bǎinián shùrén, yán yùcái yě. [Pinyin]That it takes one year to grow grains, one decade to grow trees, and one century to grow humans — this is what we say about education.

### Pronunciation

* Mandarin
    (Pinyin): shínián shùmù, bǎinián shùrén
    (Zhuyin): ㄕˊ ㄋㄧㄢˊ ㄕㄨˋ ㄇㄨˋ , ㄅㄞˇ ㄋㄧㄢˊ ㄕㄨˋ ㄖㄣˊ
* Cantonese (Jyutping): sap$^6$ nin$^4$ syu$^6$ muk$^6$, baak$^3$ nin$^4$ syu$^6$ jan$^4$
* Southern Min (Teochew, Peng'im): zab$^8$ ni$^5$ su$^6$ bhag$^8$, bêh$^4$ ni$^5$ su$^6$ nang$^5$
* Mandarin
** (Standard Chinese)
*** Hanyu Pinyin: shínián shùmù, bǎinián shùrén
*** Zhuyin: ㄕˊ ㄋㄧㄢˊ ㄕㄨˋ ㄇㄨˋ , ㄅㄞˇ ㄋㄧㄢˊ ㄕㄨˋ ㄖㄣˊ
*** Tongyong Pinyin: shíhnián shùmù, bǎinián shùrén
*** Wade–Giles: shih$^2$-nien$^2$ shu$^4$-mu$^4$, pai$^3$-nien$^2$ shu$^4$-jên$^2$
*** Yale: shŕ-nyán shù-mù-, bǎi-nyán shù-rén
*** Gwoyeu Romatzyh: shyrnian shuhmuh, baenian shuhren
*** Palladius: шинянь шуму, байнянь шужэнь (šinjanʹ šumu, bajnjanʹ šužɛnʹ)
*** Sinological IPA : /ʂʐ̩³⁵ ni̯ɛn³⁵ ʂu⁵¹⁻⁵³ mu⁵¹ paɪ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹ ni̯ɛn³⁵ ʂu⁵¹ ʐən³⁵/
* Cantonese
** (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)
*** Jyutping: sap$^6$ nin$^4$ syu$^6$ muk$^6$, baak$^3$ nin$^4$ syu$^6$ jan$^4$
*** Yale: sahp nìhn syuh muhk, baak nìhn syuh yàhn
*** Cantonese Pinyin: sap$^9$ nin$^4$ sy$^6$ muk$^9$, baak$^8$ nin$^4$ sy$^6$ jan$^4$
*** Guangdong Romanization: seb$^6$ nin$^4$ xu$^6$ mug$^6$, bag$^3$ nin$^4$ xu$^6$ yen$^4$
*** Sinological IPA : /sɐp̚² niːn²¹ syː²² mʊk̚² paːk̚³ niːn²¹ syː²² jɐn²¹/
* Southern Min
** (Teochew)
*** Peng'im: zab$^8$ ni$^5$ su$^6$ bhag$^8$, bêh$^4$ ni$^5$ su$^6$ nang$^5$
*** Pe̍h-ōe-jī-like: tsa̍p nî sŭ ba̍k, peh nî sŭ nâng
*** Sinological IPA : /t͡sap̚⁴⁻² ni⁵⁵ su³⁵⁻¹¹ bak̚⁴ peʔ²⁻⁴ ni⁵⁵ su³⁵⁻¹¹ naŋ⁵⁵/

### Proverb

十年樹木，百年樹人
* (figurative) it takes a long time for good education to bear fruit (i.e. to produce a competent person)
    From: 2011 November 1, 凌鼎年, 《同心同德、互學互幫》, from 《迤邐文林二十年：歐華作協二十華誕紀念文集》, page 23
    Xīnwén Ōuzhōu huáwén zuòjiā xiéhuì chénglì èrshí nián le, wǒ zìrán'érrán xiǎngqǐ le “shínián shùmù, bǎinián shùrén” de lǎohuà, pōduō gǎnkǎi. Rúguǒ huàn yīzhǒng biǎoshù fāngshì, nà shìfǒu kěyǐ shuō: rénshēng jǐgè èrshí nián? [Pinyin]
    Being glad to hear that it had been twenty years since CWAE was founded, I automatically remembered that old saying, "it takes a long time to produce a competent person". Many feelings welled up inside my mind. If I change its way of expression, then could it be "How many 'twenty years' are there in a person's life?"
    From: 2011 October 3, 盧靜文, 《一生不能不懂的教育學故事》, page 190
    “Shínián shùmù, bǎinián shùrén”, jiàoyù shì chángqī gōngchéng, bùyào zhǐwàng háizǐ yīliǎnggè yuè jiù huì fāshēng duōdà biànhuà, jìnbù duōme míngxiǎn [Pinyin]
    "It takes a long time to produce a competent person." Education is a long-term project so don't expect your children to change much or make clear progress after only one to two months