To study diligently under difficult or impoverished circumstances, often by ingenious means, such as borrowing light from a neighbor through a chiseled hole in the wall; to persevere in learning despite hardship.
Era:
Ancient
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Story:
During the Western Han Dynasty, Kuang Heng, who later became a prime minister, grew up in extreme poverty and had no means to attend school.
During the day, he worked for a wealthy family who owned many books. At night, without money for lamp oil, he resorted to chiseling a small hole in his earthen wall to borrow light from his neighbor to read. He even offered to work for free for families with books in exchange for the opportunity to read them.
Through his persistent and diligent study, he eventually became the Junior Tutor to the Crown Prince during the reign of Emperor Yuan of Han.