Definition
铁杵 literally means 'iron pestle', but it's most commonly encountered in the idiom 铁杵磨成针 (tiě chǔ mó chéng zhēn), which comes from the story of the Tang poet Li Bai: a woman grinding an iron pestle into a needle taught him that perseverance can turn the impossible into reality. The word itself is a concrete noun, but its cultural weight makes it a symbol of determination.
n
iron pestle (a tool for pounding)symbol of perseverance (from the idiom 铁杵磨成针)
Examples
- 铁杵。Gǔdài de yàogōng chángyòng tiě chǔ lái dǎosuì yàocái.Ancient medicine workers often used iron pestles to crush medicinal herbs.
- ,铁杵。Zhǐyào gōngfu shēn, tiě chǔ yě néng mó chéng zhēn.With enough effort, even an iron pestle can be ground into a needle.
- 铁杵,。Tā xiàng tiě chǔ yíyàng, yòng yìlì bǎ bù kěnéng biàn chéng le kěnéng.Like an iron pestle, he turned the impossible into the possible through perseverance.
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