前人栽树，后人乘凉 in English qian2 ren2 zai1 shu4 , hou4 ren2 cheng2 liang2 Meaning

Meanings

  • to enjoy the benefits of the hard work of one's predecessors. (idiomatic expression)

Simplified Characters

前 人 栽 树 ， 后 人 乘 凉

Traditional Characters

前 人 栽 樹 ， 後 人 乘 涼

Pinyin

qian2 ren2 zai1 shu4 , hou4 ren2 cheng2 liang2

Literal

Literal explanation, with pronunciation and meaning of each character.

前qian2front 人ren2man 栽zai1to grow 树shu4tree ， 后hou4surname Hou 人ren2man 乘cheng2surname Cheng 凉liang2the five Liang of the Sixteen Kingdoms, namely: Former Liang 前涼|前凉 (314-376), Later Liang 後涼|后凉 (386-403), Northern Liang 北涼|北凉 (398-439), Southern Liang 南涼|南凉 (397-414), Western Liang 西涼|西凉 (400-421)