恨铁不成钢 hèn tiě bù chéng gāng

DEFINITIONS

  1. lit. to hate iron for not becoming steel
  2. to feel resentful towards sb for failing to meet expectations and impatient to see improvement (idiom)

CHARACTERS

恨 hèn
HSK 5
hatred, dislike; resent, hate
铁 tiě
HSK 3
iron; strong, solid, firm
不 bù
HSK 1
no, not; un-; negative prefix
成 chéng
HSK 3
completed, finished, fixed
钢 gāng
HSK 4
steel; hard, strong, tough