Meaning: When the flowers bloom and can be picked, you should go ahead and break them. Don't wait until the flowers fade and only break an empty branch.
Source: "Golden Threaded Clothes" - Tang Dynasty: Anonymous
I advise you not to cherish your golden threaded clothes; I advise you to cherish your youth.
When the flowers are in bloom, they need to be folded, but don’t wait until there are no flowers to break the branches.
Translation: I advise you not to pay too much attention to the pursuit of fame and wealth, but to cherish the best period of your youth to study. When the flowers bloom and can be picked, you should go ahead and break them. Don't wait until the flowers fade and only break an empty branch.
Extended information
1. The creative background of "Golden Thread Clothes"
The author of the lyrics is no longer known, and the specific creation time is unknown. This is a popular lyric from the mid-Tang Dynasty. It is said that Li Qi, the governor of Zhenhai during the Yuan Dynasty, loved this word so much that he often ordered his concubine Du Qiuniang to sing it at banquets (see Du Mu's "Poems of Du Qiuniang" and his own notes). Some anthologies of Tang poetry are titled Du Qiuniang's work or Li Qi's work, which is inaccurate.
2. Appreciation of "Golden Threaded Clothes"
The meaning of this poem is very easy to understand and can be summarized by the word "cherish the time". This is a truth that everyone understands. However, it makes readers feel the simple and strong desire, makes people feel extremely shocked, and has an irresistible charm. Every sentence in the whole poem seems to repeatedly emphasize "Don't let the good times pass by", and each sentence has some subtle changes. It is repeated without being verbose, and the loop is neither fast nor slow, forming a beautiful and light melody.