📖 Meaning
To grind an iron pestle down into a needle. It is a metaphor for achieving difficult goals through persistent effort and unwavering perseverance. With enough dedication and hard work, even the most daunting tasks can be accomplished.
📜 Origin Story
The story originates from the Ming dynasty encyclopedia Qianque Leishu. As a young boy, the Tang dynasty poet Li Bai was studying but made little progress, so he abandoned his books and left. On the road he encountered an old woman grinding a thick iron pestle against a stone. When Li Bai asked what she was doing, she replied that she intended to grind it into a needle. Deeply moved by her determination, Li Bai returned to his studies and eventually completed his education.
💡 Example Usage
做学问要有磨杵成针的精神，才能有所成就。
To achieve success in scholarship, one must possess the spirit of grinding a pestle into a needle.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 磨杵成针
- Pinyin: mó chǔ chéng zhēn
- Literal Translation: grind, pestle, into, needle
- Category: Perseverance
- Characters: 4