春雨贵如油

春雨贵如油

Literally means:

rain during springtime is as precious as oil

Actually means:

It is a farming proverb popular in north China.

There, the weather is generally dry and it rarely rains in springtime, which, however, is also the seeding time when abundant rainfall is needed. So the rain in springtime is very important and precious for the growth of crops.

In south China, on the contrary, there is plenty of rainfall in springtime, so this proverb is not frequently used.

水比油还要珍贵。这是中国北方地区春天的雨水流行的一句农话。

北方地区春天比较干，很少下雨，而春天庄稼播种，需要充足的雨水，所以春天的雨水对于庄稼的生长非常重要和珍贵。

中国南方地区，春天的雨量较大，这种说法不常用。