好记性不如烂笔头

好記性不如爛筆頭
hǎojìxìngbùrúlànbǐtóu
the palest ink is better than the best memory (idiom)

CEDICT

Entry Composition

1 好记 hǎojì easy to remember
2 性 xìng
  1. nature
  2. character
  3. property
  4. quality
  5. attribute
  6. sexuality
  7. sex
  8. gender
  9. suffix forming adjective from verb
  10. suffix forming noun from adjective, corresponding to -ness or -ity
  11. essence

classifier: 個
3 不如 bùrú
  1. not equal to; not as good as; inferior to
  2. it would be better to
4 烂 làn
  1. soft; mushy
  2. well-cooked and soft
  3. to rot; to decompose
  4. rotten
  5. worn out
  6. chaotic; messy
  7. utterly; thoroughly
  8. crappy; bad
5 笔头 bǐtóu
  1. ability to write
  2. writing skill
  3. written
  4. in written form