"Miscellaneous Poems"

——Tao Yuanming of Jin Dynasty

The prime years will not come again, and it will be difficult to get up again in one day.

Be encouraged in time, time waits for no one.

Translation: Once youth has passed, it can never come back again, and you will never see the second sunrise in a day. You should encourage yourself when you are young and strong. Time passes by and does not wait for others.

"White Deer Cave Poems"

——Tang Wang Zhenbai

While reading, I don't realize that spring is already deep, and every inch of time is worth an inch of gold.

It is not the Taoist who comes to make people laugh, but Zhou Qing and Kong Sizheng are pursuing it.

Translation: Concentrate on reading, spring is over before you know it, and every inch of time is as precious as an inch of gold. It was not that Taoists came to laugh at him, but he devoted himself to studying the essence of Zhou Gong's thoughts and teachings of Confucius.

"Occasionally"

——Zhu Xi of the Song Dynasty

It is easy for a young man to learn from an old man, and it is difficult to learn from an old man. One inch of time should not be taken lightly.

I haven’t realized the dream of spring grass in the pond, but the phoenix leaves in front of the steps have already sounded in autumn.

Translation: It is very easy to pass away the days of youth, but it is difficult to achieve success in learning, so you must cherish every inch of time and not let it go easily. Before I could wake up from the sweet dream of spring grass growing in the pond, the leaves of the sycamore tree in front of the steps were already rustling in the autumn wind.

"Encouraging Learning"

——Tang Yan Zhenqing

It is the time for men to study when the lights are on at three o'clock and the chickens are on at five o'clock.

Black-haired people don’t know how to study diligently early, and white-haired people regret studying late.

Translation: The best time for boys to study is between midnight and the time when the rooster crows. If you don’t study hard when you are young, you will regret studying too late when you are old.