点铁成金 diǎn tiě chéng jīn Transform iron into gold

Explanation

原指古代传说中点铁成金的法术。比喻修改文章或其他作品时，稍加修改润色，就能使之变得精彩出色。

Originally referred to the alchemic transformation of iron into gold in ancient legends. Today, it is used to describe how a slight modification to a text or work can greatly enhance its quality.

Origin Story

话说唐朝时期，有个名叫李白的诗人，他不仅擅长写诗，还精通炼丹术。一天，他闲来无事，便在院子里炼丹。突然，一阵狂风吹来，炉火熄灭了，丹砂散落一地。李白见状，心中十分惋惜，便想办法将散落的丹砂重新收集起来，准备再炼一次。这时，他发现有一块铁块被丹砂沾染上了，呈现出金黄色的光泽。李白好奇之下，便用手指轻轻一点铁块，不可思议的事情发生了，铁块竟然真的变成了金子！李白欣喜若狂，他意识到，这不仅仅是炼丹的成功，更是他炼丹术的一大突破。他将此事记录了下来，并将其中的奥秘传授给了他的弟子们。从此，点铁成金的故事便流传了下来，成为后世人们津津乐道的佳话。

huà shuō táng cháo shíqī, yǒu gè míng jiào lǐ bái de shī rén, tā bù jǐn shàn cháng xiě shī, hái jīngtōng liàn dānshù. yī tiān, tā xián lái wú shì, biàn zài yuàn zi lǐ liàn dān. tūrán, yī zhèn kuáng fēng chuī lái, lú huǒ xīmiè le, dānshā sàn luò yī dì. lǐ bái jiàn zhàng, xīn zhōng shí fēn wán xī, biàn xiǎng bànfǎ jiāng sàn luò de dānshā chóngxīn shōují qǐ lái, zhǔnbèi zài liàn yī cì. zhè shí, tā fāxiàn yǒu yī kuài tiě kuài bèi dānshā zhānrǎn shang le, chéng xiàn chū jīnhuáng sè de guāngzé. lǐ bái hào qí zhī xià, biàn yòng shǒu zhǐ qīng qīng yī diǎn tiě kuài, bù kě sī yì de shìqíng fāshēng le, tiě kuài jìng rán zhēn de biàn chéng le jīn zi! lǐ bái xīn xǐ ruò kuáng, tā yìshí dào, zhè bù jǐn shì liàn dān de chénggōng, gèng shì tā liàn dānshù de yī dà tūpò. tā jiāng cǐ shì jìlù xià le, bìng jiāng qí zhōng de àomì chuánshòu gěi le tā de dìzǐ men. cóng cǐ, diǎn tiě chéng jīn de gùshì biàn liú chuán xià lái le, chéngwéi hòushì rénmen jīn jīn dàolào de jiā huà.

During the Tang Dynasty, there was a famous poet named Li Bai who was not only a gifted writer but also an alchemist. One day, he was experimenting with alchemy in his garden when a sudden gust of wind extinguished his fire and scattered his ingredients. Disheartened, he collected the remnants when he noticed that a piece of iron had been touched by the scattered ingredients and now shimmered gold. Curious, Li Bai lightly touched the iron with his finger, and to his amazement, the iron actually turned into gold! He celebrated this discovery as a breakthrough in his alchemic work and shared his knowledge with his students. Since then, the story of Li Bai and his "golden iron" has been passed down as a legend.

Usage

用于形容修改文章或作品后，使其变得更精妙出色。

yòng yú xiāo róng xiūgǎi wénzhāng huò zuòpǐn hòu, shǐ qí biàn de gèng jīngmiào chū sè

Used to describe how a text or work, after some editing, becomes more brilliant and effective.

Examples

• 这篇论文文字精炼，点铁成金，读来令人拍案叫绝！

  zhè piān lùnwén wénzì jīngliàn, diǎn tiě chéng jīn, dú lái lìng rén pāi àn jiào jué

  This paper is concise and brilliant, a true masterpiece!

• 他只是简单地修改了几处，就使整篇文章点铁成金了。

  tā zhǐshì jiǎndāndì xiūgǎi le jǐ chù, jiù shǐ zhěng piān wénzhāng diǎn tiě chéng jīn le

  He only made a few minor changes, but it significantly improved the article

Related Idioms

• 点石成金

• 化腐朽为神奇

Opposite Idioms

• 一事无成

• 适得其反