Chinese idiom · 成语
悬梁刺股
Meaning
To tie hair to a beam and prick thighs; to study diligently despite hardship.
Character by character
悬hang
梁beam
刺prick
股thigh
Origin and story
From Records of the Grand Historian (Shǐ jì). Students tied hair to stay awake or pricked thighs to focus, showing extreme effort.