铁砚磨穿 — “To persevere with unwavering determination and tireless effort”

铁砚磨穿 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to persevere with unwavering determination and tireless effort”. To remain steadfast in one's pursuit, often despite setbacks, until achieving success, much like grinding through an iron ink slab. Literally, “to grind through an iron ink slab”.

Frequency

铁砚磨穿 Pronunciation and Pinyin

铁砚磨穿 Character Breakdown

Stroke Order

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

Example Sentence with 铁砚磨穿

他下定决心要攻克这门学问，即使遇到再大的困难，也要铁砚磨穿，绝不放弃。

He was determined to master this field of study; no matter how great the difficulties, he would grind through the iron ink slab, never giving up.

Origin and Story of 铁砚磨穿

During the Five Dynasties period, Sang Weihan was determined to pass the imperial examination and become a jinshi (a successful candidate). His first attempt failed because the chief examiner was superstitious, as 'Sang' ( 桑) sounded like 'mourning' ( 丧).

For his second attempt, he wrote 'Ode to the Rising Sun on Fusang,' lavishly praising Fusang, but still failed to be selected.

Friends advised him to find other ways to secure an official position. However, Sang Weihan had an iron ink slab specially made and declared that he would only consider alternative career paths after he had ground a hole through it.

His unwavering determination eventually paid off, and he finally passed the imperial examination.