# 养精蓄锐

yǎng jīng xù ruì

Rest and prepare strength for a coming effort

## Meaning & wording

**Literally:** Nurture vitality and store sharpness

**Traditional Chinese:** 養精蓄銳

**Register:** Standard · expressive

[Effort & growth](https://chinese-idioms.yudis.dev/idioms/topics/effort)

## When to use it

Describe purposeful recovery before a challenge.

Rest should support preparation, not indefinite avoidance.

## Understanding the expression

Energy is treated as something that can be cared for and held in reserve. The expression describes rest, training, and preparation before a demanding task. An athlete may recover before a final, or a team may pause before a major launch. It is not the opposite of effort: recovery can be part of effective effort. The phrase is clearest when there is an upcoming purpose that explains why conserving strength now matters.

## Examples

决赛前，队员养精蓄锐。

### Traditional Chinese

決賽前，隊員養精蓄銳。

jué sài qián ， duì yuán yǎng jīng xù ruì 。

Before the final, the players rested and conserved their strength.

今晚早睡，为明天养精蓄锐。

### Traditional Chinese

今晚早睡，為明天養精蓄銳。

jīn wǎn zǎo shuì ， wèi míng tiān yǎng jīng xù ruì 。

Sleep early tonight to prepare your energy for tomorrow.

团队暂停会议，养精蓄锐。

### Traditional Chinese

團隊暫停會議，養精蓄銳。

tuán duì zàn tíng huì yì ， yǎng jīng xù ruì 。

The team paused meetings to recover and prepare.

她休假一周，养精蓄锐后再出发。

### Traditional Chinese

她休假一週，養精蓄銳後再出發。

tā xiū jiǎ yī zhōu ， yǎng jīng xù ruì hòu zài chū fā 。

She took a week off to restore her energy before setting out again.

## Sources & reference checks

Original explanations and examples from Chinese Idioms Almanac. Source-checked October 6, 2026.

- [CC-CEDICT · forms & pronunciation](https://www.mdbg.net/chinese/dictionary?page=worddict&wdqb=%E9%A4%8A%E7%B2%BE%E8%93%84%E9%8A%B3)

- [Ministry of Education · 成語典](https://dict.idioms.moe.edu.tw/idiomView.jsp?ID=934&webMd=1&la=0)

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