只要功夫深，鐵杵磨成針 zhǐ yào gōng fu shēn ， tiě chǔ mó chéng zhēn

with hard work, anything can be done; persevere

Word data

HSK Not in HSK
Frequency Unknown

Definitions

  1. 1. cf idiom 磨杵成针mó chǔ chéng zhēn, to grind an iron bar down to a fine needle (idiom); fig. to persevere in a difficult task
  2. 2. to study diligently
  3. 3. If you work at it hard enough, you can grind an iron bar into a needle.

Characters

Character Meaning
只 zhǐ HSK 3
only; just; merely
要 yào HSK 2
to want; going to (as future auxiliary); must
功 gōng HSK 4
meritorious deed or service; achievement; accomplishment
夫 fu HSK 2
husband; man; manual worker
深 shēn HSK 4
deep; deeply; (of a color) dark
鐵 tiě
iron (metal); hard; strong
杵 chǔ
pestle; to poke
磨 mó HSK 6
to rub; to grind; to waste time
成 chéng HSK 3
to become; to succeed; to complete
針 zhēn
needle; pin; injection