Youth is quick to fade, yet learning is hard to attain;
not a single inch of time should be taken lightly.
While still dreaming of spring grasses by the pond,
the leaves before the steps already rustle with autumn’s sound.
少年易老学难成,一寸光阴不可轻。
未觉池塘春草梦,阶前梧叶已秋声。
~ Zhu Xi (朱熹, 1130–1200), Southern Song Dynasty philosopher; from “A Poem Urging the Pursuit of Learning” (《劝学诗》)