磨穿铁砚 — “To study with extreme diligence and perseverance over a long period”

磨穿铁砚 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to study with extreme diligence and perseverance over a long period”. Signifying immense effort and determination in one's academic pursuits or work. Literally, “To grind through an iron inkstone”.

Frequency

磨穿铁砚 Pronunciation and Pinyin

磨穿铁砚 Character Breakdown

Stroke Order

Character	Pinyin	Strokes	Meaning
磨	mó	16	grind, rub, or polish
穿	chuān	9	wear, pierce, pass through
铁	tiě	10	iron metal or firm
砚	yàn	9	inkstone

Example Sentence with 磨穿铁砚

他秉持着磨穿铁砚的精神，日夜苦读，最终如愿以偿考上了理想的学校

He upheld the spirit of 'grinding through an iron inkstone', studying diligently day and night, and finally succeeded in getting into his ideal school.

Origin and Story of 磨穿铁砚

During the Five Dynasties period, there was a scholar named Sang Weihan who was determined to pass the imperial examination and become a *jinshi*.

On his first attempt, he failed because the chief examiner was superstitious, fearing that his surname 'Sang' ( 桑) sounded too similar to 'sang' ( 丧), meaning mourning.

Undeterred, he tried again, even writing an essay titled "Ode to the Rising Sun from Fusang" to praise the land of the rising sun, but he still didn't pass.

Friends advised him to seek other avenues to become an official.

However, Sang Weihan was resolute. He commissioned an iron inkstone and declared that he would only consider alternative ways to pursue an official career after he had completely ground through this iron inkstone from sheer usage.