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》)