羊毛出在羊身上

yángmáochūzàiyángshenshāng

the benefits come from oneself; there's no such thing as a free lunch

Wiktionary

Homographs

羊毛出在羊身上 yángmáochūzàiyángshēnshàng
  1. lit. wool comes from the sheep's back (idiom); One gets the benefit, but the price has been paid.
  2. Nothing comes for free.

Entry Composition

1 羊毛 yángmáo
  1. fleece
  2. wool
  3. woolen
=2 出 chū
  1. to go out; to come out
  2. to arise; to occur
  3. to produce; to yield
  4. to go beyond; to exceed
  5. (used after a verb to indicate an outward direction or a positive result)
  6. classifier for dramas, plays, operas etc
=2 出 chū variant of 出 chū (classifier for plays or chapters of classical novels)
3 在 zài
  1. to exist; to be alive
  2. (of sb or sth) to be (located) at
  3. (used before a verb to indicate an action in progress)
=4 羊 Yáng surname Yang
=4 羊 yáng sheep; goat

classifiers: 頭, 隻
=5 身上 shēnshang
  1. on the body
  2. at hand
  3. among
=5 身上 shēnshàng
  1. (literally) one's body; one's health
  2. (something happening) to someone
  3. at hand; with or on oneself; on one's person
  4. one's body; one's health
  5. to someone