haste makes waste; more haste, less speed
Tone colorsmāmámǎmàma
Meanings
1 sense · 3 examplesproverb
haste makes waste; more haste, less speed; excessive speed prevents reaching the goal
formalA classic Confucian adage (from the Analects) warning that rushing or being overly impatient often backfires, preventing one from achieving their objective. Used to advise patience and steady progress.
Xué学
xí习
wài外
yǔ语
yào要
chí持
zhī之
yǐ以
héng恒
，
yù欲
sù速
zé则
bù不
dá达
。
Learning a foreign language requires persistence; haste makes waste.
Zuò做
xué学
wen问
bù不
néng能
jí急
yú于
qiú求
chéng成
，
yù欲
sù速
zé则
bù不
dá达
。
One cannot rush academic pursuits—more haste, less speed.
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Tā他
tài太
xiǎng想
chéng成
gōng功
，
fǎn反
ér而
shī失
bài败
le了
，
zhēn真
shi是
yù欲
sù速
zé则
bù不
dá达
。
He wanted success so badly that he failed—truly, haste makes waste.