手足胼胝 — “To have calluses on one's hands and feet from diligent labor”

手足胼胝 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to have calluses on one's hands and feet from diligent labor”. To work extremely hard and tirelessly; to toil with great effort. Literally, “hands and feet calloused”.

Frequency

手足胼胝 Pronunciation and Pinyin

手足胼胝 Character Breakdown

Stroke Order

Character	Pinyin	Strokes	Meaning
手	shǒu	4	hand, skill, person, handy
足	zú	7	foot, sufficient, full
胼	pián	10	callus or hardened skin
胝	zhī	9	callus or toughened skin

Example Sentence with 手足胼胝

这位老匠人几十年如一日地辛勤工作，手足胼胝，才练就了这门精湛的手艺。

This old craftsman has worked diligently for decades, with calluses on his hands and feet, to master this exquisite skill.

Origin and Story of 手足胼胝

During the Jin Dynasty, Wang Xizhi, the General of the Right Army, and Xie An, the Grand Tutor, were climbing Mount Ye together.

As Xie An fell into deep contemplation, Wang Xizhi remarked to him, "Emperor Yu worked diligently for the kingdom, toiling so hard that his hands and feet became covered with calluses. King Wen, too, worked tirelessly, often eating late and having no time for himself throughout the day." Wang Xizhi then touched upon the prevalent issue of empty talk that was detrimental to the state.

Xie An, annoyed, countered, "The Qin Dynasty, relying on Shang Yang, perished after only two generations. Could it be 'pure talk' that truly caused its downfall?"