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匡衡凿壁
匡衡凿壁
匡衡凿壁
匡衡凿壁
匡衡凿壁
匡衡凿壁
匡衡凿壁
匡衡凿壁

匡衡凿壁 — “To study diligently under difficult circumstances”

匡衡凿壁 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to study diligently under difficult circumstances”. To be a model of assiduous learning despite poverty. Literally, “Kuang Heng drilled a hole in the wall”.

Frequency

匡衡凿壁 Pronunciation and Pinyin

匡衡凿壁 Character Breakdown

Stroke Order
CharacterPinyinStrokesMeaning
匡
kuāng6correct, help, or estimate
衡
héng16weigh, measure, balance
凿
záo12chisel or bore a hole
壁
bì16wall, cliff, or defensive barrier

Example Sentence with 匡衡凿壁

小明虽然家境贫寒,但他学习非常刻苦,颇有匡衡凿壁的精神。
Despite his humble background, Xiao Ming studies very diligently, embodying the spirit of Kuang Heng drilling a hole in the wall.

Origin and Story of 匡衡凿壁

During the Western Han Dynasty, Prime Minister Kuang Heng came from a poor family and could not afford to attend school.

During the day, he helped others with work. At night, he had no money for lamp oil, so he chiseled a hole in the earthen wall of his house to borrow light from his neighbor to read.

He even offered free labor to households that owned books in exchange for reading them.

Through his assiduous study, he eventually became the Junior Tutor to the Crown Prince during the reign of Emperor Yuan.

Idioms Related to 匡衡凿壁

Synonyms of 匡衡凿壁

  • záo凿bì壁tōu偷guāng光study diligently despite poverty

More idioms starting with 匡

  • kuāng匡luàn乱fǎn反zhèng正restore order out of chaos
  • kuāng匡sú俗jì济shí时rectify customs and save the times
  • kuāng匡qí其bù不dǎi逮Help make up for deficiencies
  • kuāng匡hé合zhī之gōng功Merit of rectification and unification
  • kuāng匡guó国jì济shí时Rectify the realm and save the times
  • kuāng匡jiù救mí弥fèng缝rectify mistakes and remedy shortcomings
  • kuāng匡shí时jì济shì世rectify the times and relieve the world
  • kuāng匡shí时jì济sú俗rectify the times and rescue the customs
  • kuāng匡zhèng正gāng纲jì纪rectify rules and discipline
  • kuāng匡miù谬zhèng正sú俗Correct errors and rectify bad customs
  • kuāng匡dǐng鼎jiě解yí颐eloquently explain poetry, delighting audience

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Questions about 匡衡凿壁

What does 匡衡凿壁 mean?

匡衡凿壁 (kuāng héng záo bì) is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to study diligently under difficult circumstances”.

How do you pronounce 匡衡凿壁?

匡衡凿壁 is pronounced kuāng héng záo bì in Mandarin Chinese.

What does 匡衡凿壁 literally mean?

Literally, 匡衡凿壁 means “Kuang Heng drilled a hole in the wall”. It is used to mean “to study diligently under difficult circumstances”.

Where does 匡衡凿壁 come from?

匡衡凿壁 comes from a classical Chinese story dating back to ancient China. The full story is on this page.

What is the Chinese definition of 匡衡凿壁?

后以之为刻苦读书的典实。

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