Chinese

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!branch; (a measure word) |- !trad. (莫待無花空折枝) | 莫 | 待 | 無 | 花 | 空 | 折 | 枝 |- !simp. (莫待无花空折枝) | 莫 | 待 | 无 | 花 | 空 | 折 | 枝 |}

Proverb

莫待無花空折枝

1. seize the day; carpe diem.
   • 2005: 安妮玫瑰 (Anne Rose), 翡翠护身符 (Excerpt from "The Jadeite Amulet")

     這誰也不能怪，只能怪自己，輕易不肯愛上，愛了又不肯輕易放下，雖說花開堪折直須折，莫待無花空折枝，但是享受著愛情之花的時候，即使折了，又怎樣？不還是一樣結不出婚姻之果嗎。

     No one is to blame but me for this. I was so casual and unwilling to commit to love. Then, when I did fall in love, I was unwilling to casually let it go. People always say things like carpe diem and gather ye rosebuds while ye may. But, when it comes to enjoying the rosebuds of love, even if you gather them, then what? Isn't the result the same, that we can never be married?

Synonyms

• 花開堪折直須折／花开堪折直须折 (huā kāi kān zhé zhí xū zhé)

References

• “莫待無花空折枝”, in Guoyu Cidian On-line Mandarin Dictionary (國語辭典) (in Mandarin), accessed 2009-01-09