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恨铁不成钢
恨铁不成钢
恨铁不成钢
恨铁不成钢
恨铁不成钢
恨铁不成钢
恨铁不成钢
恨铁不成钢

恨铁不成钢 — “Hate iron not turn into steel”

恨铁不成钢 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to feel deeply disappointed and frustrated with someone (often a younger person or protégé) who is not living up to their potential or expectations, wishing they would improve and make progress”. Literally, “Hate iron not turn into steel”.

Frequency

恨铁不成钢 Pronunciation and Pinyin

恨铁不成钢 Character Breakdown

Stroke Order
CharacterPinyinStrokesMeaning
恨
hèn9hate, regret
铁
tiě10iron metal or firm
不
bù4not
成
chéng7to become or succeed
钢
gāng9steel

Example Sentence with 恨铁不成钢

看着自己的孩子学习不用功,父母心里真是恨铁不成钢,希望他能更加努力。
Watching their child not studying diligently, the parents truly felt the frustration of 'hating iron for not becoming steel', hoping he could work harder.

Origin and Story of 恨铁不成钢

Jia Baoyu fell ill after losing his 'Psychic Jade'.

Grandma Jia and Wang Xifeng discussed marrying Xue Baochai to Baoyu, hoping this joyous event would bring good fortune and save his life.

It so happened that Jia Zheng was currently holding an external official post. Grandma Jia instructed him to make the final decision. Jia Zheng, also harboring the sentiment of 'hating iron for not becoming steel' towards his son, wished for Baoyu to recover soon, marry, establish his own career, and thereby inherit the family legacy. Consequently, he agreed to proceed with the wedding immediately.

Idioms Related to 恨铁不成钢

More idioms starting with 恨

  • hèn恨zhī之rù入gǔ骨hate to the bone
  • hèn恨zhī之qiè切gǔ骨hate to the bone
  • hèn恨wǔ五mà骂liù六curse and complain vehemently
  • hèn恨rù入xīn心suǐ髓to hate someone to the core
  • hèn恨rù入gǔ骨suǐ髓to hate to the bone
  • hèn恨rú如tóu头cù醋utterly detestable or intensely hated
  • hèn恨xiǎo小fēi非jūn君zǐ子,,wú无dú毒bù不zhàng丈fu夫A true man is resolute and ruthless
  • hèn恨hǎi海nán难tián填Hatred is hard to appease
  • hèn恨xiāng相zhī知wǎn晚Regret not meeting sooner
  • hèn恨xiāng相jiàn见wǎn晚regret not meeting sooner
  • hèn恨qióng穷fā发jí极erupt in extreme anger

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Questions about 恨铁不成钢

What does 恨铁不成钢 mean?

恨铁不成钢 (hèn tiě bù chéng gāng) is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to feel deeply disappointed and frustrated with someone (often a younger person or protégé) who is not living up to their potential or expectations, wishing they would improve and make progress”.

How do you pronounce 恨铁不成钢?

恨铁不成钢 is pronounced hèn tiě bù chéng gāng in Mandarin Chinese.

What does 恨铁不成钢 literally mean?

Literally, 恨铁不成钢 means “Hate iron not turn into steel”. It is used to mean “to feel deeply disappointed and frustrated with someone (often a younger person or protégé) who is not living up to their potential or expectations, wishing they would improve and make progress”.

Where does 恨铁不成钢 come from?

恨铁不成钢 comes from a classical Chinese story dating back to the modern era. The full story is on this page.

What is the Chinese definition of 恨铁不成钢?

形容对所期望的人不争气不上进感到不满,急切希望他变好。

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