The New Dictionary.
Search dictionary
Chinese/Dictionary entry

一年之计在于春

yī nián zhī jì zài yú chūndictionary entry
DEFINITION CC-CEDICT
the whole year must be planned for in the spring (idiom) / early planning is the key to success
Sources & editorial notes

Reference definitions: CC-CEDICT contributors and MDBG, CC BY-SA 4.0. Source release 2026-10-27T01:55:52Z. Imported 2026-10-27. Definition wording and meaning order are retained. Recognized pronunciation references are displayed with tone marks; the original source record is available below.

Source record: cd-7b624f524bdf7b9d. Source SHA-256: bbc4b27f26bee1a262f4d7939667a040c7857c7fc0200a2fa7a86d3352a09eae.

Original source entry:

一年之計在於春 一年之计在于春 [yi1 nian2 zhi1 ji4 zai4 yu2 chun1] /the whole year must be planned for in the spring (idiom)/early planning is the key to success/

Reference definitions and teaching material have separate provenance.

Reference information

The definitions above are from CC-CEDICT. Examples and usage notes are available on selected entries.

Character information

View the individual characters. Their meanings do not necessarily explain the meaning of the whole word.

Other forms in these source records: 一年之計在於春

  • 一
    yī

    one / single / a (article) / as soon as / entire / whole / all / throughout / "one" radical in Chinese characters (Kangxi radical 1) / also pr. [yāo] for greater clarity when spelling out numbers digit by digit

  • 年
    nián

    year / CL:個|个[gè] / grain / harvest (old)

    Nián

    surname Nian

  • 之
    zhī

    (possessive particle, literary equivalent of 的[de]) / him / her / it

  • 计
    jì

    to calculate / to compute / to count / to regard as important / to plan / ruse / meter / gauge

    Jì

    surname Ji

  • 在
    zài

    to exist / to be alive / (of sb or sth) to be (located) at / (used before a verb to indicate an action in progress)

  • 于
    yú

    to go / to take / sentence-final interrogative particle / (of time or place) in / at / on / (indicating any indirect relation) to / toward / vis-à-vis / with regard to / for / (indicating a source) from / out of / (used in comparison) than / (used in the passive voice) by

    Yú

    surname Yu

  • 春
    chūn

    spring (season) / gay / joyful / youthful / love / lust / life

    Chūn

    surname Chun

Reference definitions from CC-CEDICT.