One day of sun, ten days of cold: nothing grows like that.

What it means

Even the hardiest plant dies if it gets one warm day and ten cold ones. Bursts of effort followed by long neglect produce nothing. Steady, daily attention is what makes things grow.

The source

"One day of sun, ten days of cold: nothing grows like that." Mencius said it in Mencius 6A9 (告子上). Translated from the original Chinese by Spartan Surfers.

"雖有天下易生之物也，一日暴之，十日寒之，未有能生者也。"

Original Chinese, Mencius 6A9 (告子上). Text read at zh.wikisource.org.

Who said it

Mencius (c. 372-289 BC). The most important Confucian after Confucius himself. He argued that human nature is good and that a ruler's first duty is to the people.

Questions

What does "One day of sun, ten days of cold: nothing grows like that." mean?

Even the hardiest plant dies if it gets one warm day and ten cold ones. Bursts of effort followed by long neglect produce nothing. Steady, daily attention is what makes things grow.

Who said "One day of sun, ten days of cold: nothing grows like that."?

Mencius (c. 372-289 BC). Source: Mencius 6A9 (告子上).

What is the original Chinese?

雖有天下易生之物也，一日暴之，十日寒之，未有能生者也。. Translated from the original Chinese by Spartan Surfers.

Is "One day of sun, ten days of cold: nothing grows like that." on a shirt?

Yes. We print it to order on our tees in 7 illustrated looks, from $44, with free US shipping.

"One day of sun, ten days of cold: nothing grows like that." (Mencius, Mencius 6A9 (告子上), translated by Spartan Surfers). https://spartansurfers.com/quotes/one-day-of-sun-ten-days-of-cold