滴水穿石 Dī Shuǐ Chuān Shí water drops wear away the stone

Explanation

这个成语比喻只要坚持不懈，即使是微不足道的力量也能取得巨大的成就。

This proverb is a metaphor for how even a small force can achieve great results with persistent effort.

Origin Story

在古代，有一位名叫李白的书生，他从小就喜欢读书，但学习效率却很低。有一天，他遇到一位老先生，老先生看到他愁眉苦脸的样子，就问他为什么。李白就向老先生诉苦，说自己学习了很久，却不见进步。老先生笑着说：“你知道滴水穿石吗？”李白摇摇头。老先生就指着山上的石头说：“你看，这石头坚硬无比，但水滴却能日复一日地滴落在上面，最终将石头穿透。学习也是一样，只要你坚持不懈，终会取得成功。”李白听了老先生的话，深受启发，从此他更加努力学习，最终成为了一位著名的诗人。

zài gǔ dài, yǒu yī wèi jiào lǐ bái de shū shēng, tā cóng xiǎo jiù xǐ huan dú shū, dàn xué xí xiào lǜ què hěn dī。yǒu yī tiān, tā yù dào yī wèi lǎo xiān shēng, lǎo xiān shēng kàn dào tā chóu méi kǔ liǎn de yàng zi, jiù wèn tā wèi shén me。lǐ bái jiù xiàng lǎo xiān shēng sù kǔ, shuō zì jǐ xué xí le hěn jiǔ, què bú jiàn jìn bù。lǎo xiān shēng xiào zhe shuō：“nǐ zhī dào dī shuǐ chuān shí ma？”lǐ bái yáo yáo tóu。lǎo xiān shēng jiù zhǐ zhe shān shàng de shí tou shuō：“nǐ kàn, zhè shí tou jiān yìng wú bǐ, dàn shuǐ dī què néng rì fù rì rì de dī luò zài shàng miàn, zhōng jiū jiāng shí tou chuān tòu。xué xí yě shì yī yàng, zhǐ yào nǐ jiān chí bú xiè, zhōng huì qǔ dé chéng gōng。”lǐ bái tīng le lǎo xiān shēng de huà, shēn shòu qǐ fā, cóng cǐ tā gèng jiā nǔ lì xué xí, zhōng jiū chéng wéi le yī wèi zhù míng de shī rén。

In ancient times, there was a scholar named Li Bai who loved to read from a young age, but his learning efficiency was very low. One day, he met an old gentleman who saw his worried face and asked him why. Li Bai complained to the old gentleman, saying that he had been studying for a long time, but saw no progress. The old gentleman smiled and said,

Usage

形容坚持不懈，就能取得成功，多用来勉励人们在学习、工作中要持之以恒。

xíng róng jiān chí bú xiè, jiù néng qǔ dé chéng gōng, duō yòng lái miǎn lì rén men zài xué xí、gōng zuò zhōng yào chí zhí yǐ héng。

It describes the persistence and its ability to achieve success, often used to encourage people to persevere in their studies or work.

Examples

• 只要我们持之以恒，就能像滴水穿石一样，克服一切困难，取得成功！

  zhǐ yào wǒ men chí zhí yǐ héng, jiù néng xiàng dī shuǐ chuān shí yī yàng, kè fú yī qiè kùn nan, qǔ dé chéng gōng！

  As long as we persevere, we can overcome all difficulties and achieve success, just like water can penetrate a stone!

• 学习就像滴水穿石，需要持之以恒的努力。

  xué xí jiù xiàng dī shuǐ chuān shí, xū yào chí zhí yǐ héng de nǔ lì。

  Learning is like water that penetrates a stone, it takes persistent effort.

Related Idioms

• 铁杵磨针

• 绳锯木断

Opposite Idioms

• 半途而废

• 浅尝辄止