磨刀不误砍柴工

磨刀不误砍柴工

Literally means:

sharpening the axe won't delay the cutting of firewood

Actually means:

good preparation saves work time

Sharpening the axe won't delay the cutting of firewood. It figuratively means spending more time on preparation accelerates the work rather than delaying the work. Usually used to persuade someone to make good preparation.

砍柴之前先把刀子磨得很快，这是不会耽误砍柴的。比喻多花时间做好准备，工作不但不会受影响，反而可以做得更好更快。多用于劝人充分做好准备工作。