📖 Meaning
To study with desperate intensity and self-imposed hardship. It describes someone who endures physical pain or discomfort in order to stay awake and keep studying, reflecting extraordinary diligence and determination in the pursuit of knowledge.
📜 Origin Story
This idiom combines two stories from ancient China. The first comes from the Eastern Han Dynasty: Sun Jing (孙敬) tied his hair to a roof beam so that if he nodded off while studying, the pull would wake him up. The second comes from the Warring States period: Su Qin (苏秦), a strategist who had failed to impress a king, returned home in disgrace and studied late into the night, pricking his own thigh with an awl whenever drowsiness overtook him. Both stories were recorded in later compilations and became canonical examples of relentless study.
💡 Example Usage
为了考上理想的大学，他每天悬梁刺股地刻苦学习。
To get into his dream university, he studied desperately hard every day, pushing himself to the absolute limit.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 悬梁刺股
- Pinyin: xuán liáng cì gǔ
- Literal Translation: hang, beam, prick, thigh
- Category: Perseverance
- Characters: 4