铁杵成针

Tiě Chǔ Chéng Zhēn

只要肯下功夫,再难的事也能做成。比喻有恒心,就一定能成功。

Grind long enough and an iron rod becomes a needle — with patience, anything can be done.

tángcháodeshīrénbáixiǎoshíhòubìnghuānshūchángchángpǎochūxuétángdàowàimiànwán

yǒutiānyòutáoxuépǎodàobiānkànjiànwèibáilǎozhèngdūnzàishítóushàngyònggēndetiěbàngbáihàowèn:“nínzàizuòshénme?”

lǎotáitóuxiàozheshuō:“yàozhègēntiěchǔchénggēnxiùhuāzhēn。”báidèngyǎnjīng:“zhèmedetiěbàngzěnmenéngchéngzhēnne?”

lǎofàngxiàtiěchǔrènzhēnshuō:“zhǐyàotiāntiāntíngxiàláitiěchǔnéngchéngzhēna。”báitīnglexīnměngdònghóngzheliǎnpǎohuíxuétángcóngzàitōulǎnle

hòuláirénmenjiùyòngtiěchǔchéngzhēn”,gàozhǐyàoyǒuhéngxīnzàinándeshìnéngzuòchéng

When the great Tang dynasty poet Li Bai was a child, he did not like studying. He often slipped away from school to play outside.

One day he wandered to a riverbank and saw a white-haired old woman crouched on a stone, rubbing a thick iron rod against it. “Grandma, what are you doing?” he asked.

She looked up with a smile. “I'm grinding this iron rod into an embroidery needle.” Li Bai's eyes grew wide. “This thick rod? How can it ever become a needle?”

The old woman answered calmly, “As long as I grind a little every day and never stop, even an iron rod can become a needle.” Li Bai's heart jumped. He turned red, ran back to school, and never slacked off again.

Today “grinding an iron rod into a needle” reminds us that with patience and daily effort, the hardest task can still be done.