水不流要臭，刀不磨要锈水不流要臭，刀不磨要鏽水不流要臭，刀不磨要鏽

water that doesn't flow turns foul, a knife that isn't sharpened rusts

Saying俗语俗語

Proverb谚语諺語 · Widely known

Meaning: People must stay active to stay vigorous. Close to "use it or lose it".

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Simplified: 水不流要臭，刀不磨要锈
Traditional (Taiwan): 水不流要臭，刀不磨要鏽
Pinyin: shuǐ bù liú yào chòu, dāo bù mó yào xiù
Bopomofo: ㄕㄨㄟˇ ㄅㄨˋ ㄌㄧㄡˊ ㄧㄠˋ ㄔㄡˋ，ㄉㄠㄅㄨˋ ㄇㄛˊ ㄧㄠˋ ㄒㄧㄡˋ

Written with HSK 7-9 vocabulary, at CEFR level C1.

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