📖 Meaning
Through repeated practice, one naturally develops skill and proficiency. The idiom teaches that mastery comes not from talent alone but from persistent effort and familiarity with a task.
📜 Origin Story
This idiom traces back to a story from the Song Dynasty recorded in Shen Kuo's Mengxi Bitan (Dream Pool Essays). A skilled archer named Chen Yaodi could hit a willow leaf at a hundred paces, yet an old oil peddler casually poured oil through the tiny hole of a copper coin without a single drop touching its edges. When asked, the peddler simply explained that it was nothing but repeated practice — illustrating that mastery arises from familiarity and relentless repetition rather than innate gift alone.
💡 Example Usage
只要每天坚持练习书法，熟能生巧，总有一天你能写出一手好字。
As long as you practice calligraphy every day, practice makes perfect — one day you will be able to write beautifully.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 熟能生巧
- Pinyin: shú néng shēng qiǎo
- Literal Translation: skilled, able, produce, skillful
- Category: Skill
- Characters: 4