Chinese idiom · 成语
磨杵成针
Meaning
To achieve a difficult goal through patient, persistent effort.
Character by character
Origin and story
LegendZhu Mu's Song-period geographical collection Fangyu Shenglan (方舆胜览) records a tradition attached to Grinding-Needle Stream below Mount Xiang'er. Li Bai, it says, had left his studies unfinished. Passing the stream, he encountered an elderly woman grinding an iron pestle and asked what she intended to make. Her answer was a needle.
Moved by the meaning of her effort, Li Bai returned and completed his studies. The account is explicitly presented as local tradition, recorded centuries after the poet's lifetime. The tale became a vivid image for sustained work toward a difficult goal. It celebrates persistence without requiring a literal claim that determination can make every impossible task succeed.
Sources and further reading
In everyday life
她靠着磨杵成针的毅力，每天练习，终于能独立演奏整首曲子。
Through patient persistence and daily practice, she finally learned to play the whole piece on her own.
Approving; emphasizes sustained effort rather than quick results.