工欲善其事，必先利其器 — "To do good work, first sharpen your tools." | Chinese Proverb Explained
From Analects · 论语: "To do good work, first sharpen your tools."
What it means
"To do good work, first sharpen your tools." This timeless Chinese saying has guided readers for over two millennia.
Where it comes from
Analects · 论语. The original text is classical Chinese; this is a faithful modern English rendering.
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Character by character
| Character | Pinyin | Meaning | Strokes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 工 | gōng | labor, work; worker, laborer | 3 |
| 欲 | yù | desire, want, long for; intend | 11 |
| 善 | shàn | good, virtuous, charitable, kind | 12 |
| 其 | qí | his, her, its, their; that | 8 |
| 事 | shì | affair, matter, business; to serve; accident, incident | 8 |
| 必 | bì | surely, most certainly; must | 5 |
| 先 | xiān | first, former, previous | 6 |
| 利 | lì | gains, advantage, profit, merit | 7 |
| 其 | qí | his, her, its, their; that | 8 |
| 器 | qì | receptacle, vessel; instrument | 16 |
Character data: Unihan (Unicode).
Reading it in context
This line comes from Analects · 论语. Classical Chinese is compact: each character carries meaning, and the sense of the sentence depends on how they are read together. The usual translation is: “To do good work, first sharpen your tools.”. Because the grammar is compressed, translations differ — which is also why a literal character-by-character reading can go wrong.
Using this saying
At 10 characters, this is a full sentence rather than a slogan — from Analects · 论语. It suits a larger canvas (a framed piece, a back or rib placement) where the whole line can be read in one glance. Compressing it into a small area tends to break it into fragments that lose the sense. Keep the whole line together: a fragment can change the meaning, and the source is part of the value. If you adapt it for a design or inscription, have the exact wording checked by a native reader.
Frequently asked questions
What does it mean?
To do good work, first sharpen your tools.
Where does it come from?
It is recorded in Analects · 论语.
Can I use just part of the line?
It is safer to use the whole phrase. Classical lines are often quoted in full because the meaning depends on the whole construction.
Is the translation exact?
No short translation is exact. Classical Chinese compresses grammar, so translations vary — check with a native reader if the wording matters.
Why we can say that: how we verify our characters