面壁磨砖 — “To engage in a futile or pointless endeavor”

面壁磨砖 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to engage in a futile or pointless endeavor”. To attempt the impossible or achieve a goal using an inappropriate and ineffective method, ultimately making no progress. Literally, “Face the wall and grind a brick”.

Frequency

面壁磨砖 Pronunciation and Pinyin

面壁磨砖 Character Breakdown

Stroke Order

Character	Pinyin	Strokes	Meaning
面	miàn	9	face, surface, side, flour, noodles
壁	bì	16	wall, cliff, or defensive barrier
磨	mó	16	grind, rub, or polish
砖	zhuān	9	brick

Example Sentence with 面壁磨砖

如果只是死守旧规，不思变通，那么工作效率就如同面壁磨砖，难以有实质性提升。

If one merely adheres to old rules without seeking flexibility, work efficiency will be like facing a wall and grinding a brick, making it difficult to achieve substantial improvement.

Origin and Story of 面壁磨砖

During the Kaiyuan reign of Emperor Xuanzong of Tang, there was a Buddhist monk named Dao Yi who lived in Chuanfa Temple. He often sat in meditation, facing a wall, practicing spiritual methods.

His Zen master, seeing that his practice was misguided, took a brick and started grinding it on a large stone in front of the hermitage.

Dao Yi asked him why he was doing this. The Zen master replied that he was grinding it to make a mirror. Dao Yi said, "How can grinding a brick make a mirror?" The Zen master responded, "How can sitting in meditation make one a Buddha?"