📖 Meaning
To delve into difficult and profound subjects with diligence. It describes the tireless effort of studying abstruse and subtle knowledge in depth. The idiom commends a scholar's relentless pursuit of hard-won understanding.
📜 Origin Story
This idiom originates from the Biography of Yu Xi in the Book of Jin (晋书·虞喜传). Yu Xi was a renowned scholar of the Jin dynasty, celebrated for his broad learning and exceptional memory. The text praises him for drilling into the difficult and researching the subtle with untiring diligence. The phrase has since been used to commend those who dedicate themselves to mastering profound and challenging knowledge.
💡 Example Usage
他一生钻坚研微，终成一代学术大家。
Having devoted his entire life to delving into difficult and profound subjects, he eventually became a great master of his field.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 钻坚研微
- Pinyin: zuàn jiān yán wēi
- Literal Translation: drill, hard, research, subtle
- Category: Learning
- Characters: 4