韦编三绝 wéi biān sān jué worn out the leather strings three times

Explanation

韦编三绝，意思是把用来编连竹简的牛皮绳磨断了三次。形容读书勤奋，刻苦钻研。

The idiom "韦编三绝" means the leather strings used to bind the bamboo slips were worn out three times. It describes the diligence of reading and the intensive research of a topic.

Origin Story

春秋时期，孔子是一位伟大的思想家和教育家，他对《易经》的研究非常深入。他经常反复研读《易经》，为了方便阅读，就用牛皮绳把竹简串在一起。由于他读书太过勤奋，把用来编连竹简的牛皮绳磨断了三次，而他依然坚持学习，直到把《易经》研究透彻。这就是著名的“韦编三绝”的故事，后人用这个故事来比喻读书勤奋刻苦。

chūn qiū shí qī, kǒng zǐ shì yī wèi wěi dà de sī xiǎng jiā hé jiào yù jiā, tā duì 《yì jīng》 de yán jiū fēi cháng shēn rù. tā jīng cháng fǎn fù yán dú 《yì jīng》, wèile fāng biàn yuè dú, jiù yòng niú pí shéng bǎ zhú jiǎn chuàn zài yī qǐ. yóu yú tā dú shū tài guò qín fèn, bǎ yòng lái biān lián zhú jiǎn de niú pí shéng mó duàn le sān cì, ér tā yīrán jiān chí xué xí, zhí dào bǎ 《yì jīng》 yán jiū tòu chè. zhè jiù shì zhù míng de “wéi biān sān jué” de gù shì, hòu rén yòng zhè ge gù shì lái bǐ yù dú shū qín fèn kè kǔ.

During the Spring and Autumn Period, Confucius was a great thinker and educator. He was very dedicated to his research of the "易经". To make reading easier, he used leather strings to bind the bamboo slips together. Because of his diligent reading, he wore out the leather strings three times. However, he persisted in learning until he thoroughly understood the "易经". This is the famous story of "韦编三绝", which later generations used to illustrate the diligent and hard work of reading.

Usage

韦编三绝”用来形容读书很勤奋，也可以形容一个人对某件事的刻苦钻研。

wéi biān sān jué yòng lái xíng róng dú shū hěn qín fèn, yě kě yǐ xíng róng yī gè rén duì mǒu jiàn shì de kè kǔ zuān yán.

The idiom "韦编三绝" is used to describe someone who is very diligent in reading, but it can also be used to describe someone who is very dedicated to a particular task.

Examples

• 他为了研究古籍，废寝忘食，简直是韦编三绝！

  tā wèile yán jiū gǔ jí, fèi qǐn wàng shí, jiǎn zhí shì wéi biān sān jué!

  He studied ancient books so diligently that he wore out the leather strings that bound them three times!

• 他对知识的渴求，让我想到“韦编三绝”的典故。

  tā duì zhī shì de kě qiú, ràng wǒ xiǎng dào "wéi biān sān jué" de diǎn gù.

  His thirst for knowledge reminds me of the story of "韦编三绝".

• 他学习认真刻苦，真是韦编三绝。

  tā xué xí rèn zhēn kè kǔ, zhēn shì wéi biān sān jué.

  He is a diligent student, he has worn out the leather strings that bound the bamboo slips three times.

• 学习要像孔子那样，韦编三绝，才能学有所成。

  xué xí yào xiàng kǒng zǐ nàyàng, wéi biān sān jué, cái néng xué yǒu suǒ chéng.

  To learn something, you have to be diligent, like Confucius, who wore out the leather strings three times while studying the "易经".

• 他每天都坚持阅读，已经把那本书的韦编都磨断了好几次了。

  tā měi tiān dōu jiān chí yuè dú, yǐ jīng bǎ nà běn shū de wéi biān dōu mó duàn le hǎo jǐ cì le.

  He reads every day and has already worn out the leather strings that bound the bamboo slips of that book several times.

Related Idioms

• 悬梁刺股

• 凿壁偷光

• 囊萤映雪

Opposite Idioms

• 浅尝辄止

• 一知半解

• 不求甚解