人穷志短，马瘦毛长人窮志短，馬瘦毛長人窮志短，馬瘦毛長

when a person is poor, ambition is short; when a horse is thin, its coat looks long

Saying俗语俗語

Proverb谚语諺語 · In everyday use

Meaning: Poverty wears down a person's ambition, just as a thin horse looks shaggy and listless. Often said sympathetically, or as a warning to keep up your drive when times are hard.

Sign up for a free account to save sentences and hear them read aloud

Simplified: 人穷志短，马瘦毛长
Traditional (Taiwan): 人窮志短，馬瘦毛長
Pinyin: rénqióngzhìduǎn, mǎshòumáocháng
Bopomofo: ㄖㄣˊ ㄑㄩㄥˊ ㄓˋ ㄉㄨㄢˇ，ㄇㄚˇ ㄕㄡˋ ㄇㄠˊ ㄔㄤˊ

Words in this sentence

马(mǎ)瘦(shòu)毛(máo)长(cháng)

Where this sentence is used

Chinese sayings

Sign up for a free Chinese Boost account

Save the words and sentences you find here to your own list, and hear them read aloud. You can export the list to your flashcards whenever you like.

Create a free account

All Chinese example sentences