水滴石穿

Shuǐ Dī Shí Chuān

水滴不断地滴，也能把石头滴穿。比喻只要坚持，就能做到看起来不可能的事。

Drops of water can pierce stone — steady effort wins against the hardest task.

宋sòng朝cháo有yǒu一yī位wèi县xiàn令lìng，名míng叫jiào张zhāng乖guāi崖yá，他tā管guǎn事shì很hěn严yán，最zuì恨hèn小xiǎo偷tōu小xiǎo摸mō。

一yī天tiān，他tā在zài衙yá门mén里lǐ巡xún视shì，看kàn见jiàn一yī个gè管guǎn钱qián库kù的de小xiǎo吏lì，正zhèng从cóng钱qián库kù里lǐ偷tōu偷tōu溜liū出chū来lái，头tóu巾jīn里lǐ还hái藏cáng着zhe一yī枚méi铜tóng钱qián。张zhāng乖guāi崖yá立lì刻kè把bǎ他tā叫jiào住zhù，问wèn他tā为wèi什shén么me偷tōu钱qián。那nà小xiǎo吏lì不bù服fú气qì地dì说shuō：“不bù过guò一yī枚méi铜tóng钱qián，有yǒu什shén么me了le不bù起qǐ？”

张zhāng乖guāi崖yá生shēng气qì地dì说shuō：“一yī日rì一yī钱qián，千qiān日rì一yī千qiān；绳shéng锯jù木mù断duàn，水shuǐ滴dī石shí穿chuān。”意yì思sī是shì：一yī天tiān拿ná一yī枚méi，一yī千qiān天tiān就jiù是shì一yī千qiān枚méi；绳shéng子zi来lái回huí锯jù，木mù头tóu也yě会huì断duàn；水shuǐ一yī滴dī一yī滴dī地dì滴dī下xià来lái，再zài硬yìng的de石shí头tóu也yě会huì被bèi滴dī穿chuān！

小xiǎo吏lì听tīng了le，低dī下xià头tóu，一yī句jù话huà也yě说shuō不bù出chū来lái。张zhāng乖guāi崖yá依yī法fǎ惩chéng办bàn了le他tā，从cóng此cǐ衙yá门mén里lǐ再zài也yě没méi人rén敢gǎn偷tōu拿ná公gōng家jiā的de东dōng西xī。

后hòu来lái，人rén们men就jiù用yòng“水shuǐ滴dī石shí穿chuān”来lái鼓gǔ励lì自zì己jǐ：只zhǐ要yào坚jiān持chí不bù懈xiè，再zài难nán的de事shì情qíng也yě能néng做zuò成chéng；也yě用yòng来lái警jǐng告gào别bié人rén：小xiǎo错cuò不bù改gǎi，日rì子zi久jiǔ了le就jiù会huì酿niàng成chéng大dà祸huò。

In the Song dynasty there was a strict county magistrate named Zhang Guaiya, who hated any form of petty theft.

One day, while inspecting the government office, he saw a young clerk from the treasury slipping out with a single copper coin hidden in his headscarf. Zhang stopped him and asked why he was stealing. The clerk said scornfully, “It's just one copper coin. What's the big deal?”

Zhang answered angrily, “One coin a day, a thousand days a thousand coins. A rope can saw through wood; drops of water can pierce stone.” One coin seems like nothing, but repeated day after day, even wood breaks and the hardest stone is worn through.

The clerk lowered his head in silence. Zhang punished him according to law, and from that day on, no one in the office dared take even a coin.

Today “drops of water pierce stone” encourages us to keep going — steady effort can accomplish the impossible — and warns us that small wrongs, left uncorrected, can grow into great harm.