李白小时候不爱读书。
When Li Bai was little, he did not like to study.
一天,他从学校跑了出去。
One day, he ran out of school.
他在河边看到一位老奶奶。
By the river, he saw an old woman.
老奶奶在石头上磨一根铁棒。
The old woman was grinding an iron rod on a stone.
李白问:“奶奶,您在做什么?”
Li Bai asked, "Grandma, what are you doing?"
老奶奶说:“我要把它磨成一根针。”
The old woman said, "I am going to grind it into a needle."
李白说:“铁棒这么大,怎么可能?”
Li Bai said, "The iron rod is so big — how is that possible?"
老奶奶说:“我天天磨,它就会变小。”
The old woman said, "I grind it every day, so it will get smaller."
李白听了,回到学校好好读书。
When Li Bai heard this, he went back to school and studied hard.
后来,他成了很有名的诗人。
Later, he became a very famous poet.
这个成语是“磨杵成针”。
This idiom is "grinding an iron rod into a needle."
意思是:只要天天做,难的事也能做成。
It means: if you keep at it every day, even hard things can be done.
例句:别怕难,磨杵成针,天天练就行。
Example: Don't fear hard things — keep grinding, just practice every day.
Hover a word for its pinyin & meaning; click to pin it.
| Chinese | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
| 李白 | lǐ bái | Li Bai (701-762), famous Tang Dynasty poet |
| 小时候 | xiǎo shí hou | in one's childhood |
| 不 | bù | no; not |
| 爱 | ài | to love; to like |
| 读书 | dú shū | to study; to read |
| 一天 | yī tiān | One day |
| 他 | tā | he; him |
| 从 | cóng | from |
| 学校 | xué xiào | school |
| 跑 | pǎo | to run |
| 了 | le | (particle indicating completed action or change of state) |
| 出去 | chū qù | to go out |
| 在 | zài | to be (located); at; in |
| 河边 | hé biān | river bank |
| 看到 | kàn dào | to see |
| 一位 | yī wèi | One person (polite measure word) |
| 老奶奶 | lǎo nǎi nai | (coll.) father's father's mother; paternal great-grandmother; respectful form of address for an old woman |
| 石头 | shí tou | stone |
| 上 | shàng | up; on |
| 磨 | mó | to grind; to polish |
| 一根 | yī gēn | one (measure word for long, thin objects) |
| 铁棒 | tiě bàng | iron club; steel rod |
| 问 | wèn | to ask |
| 奶奶 | nǎi nai | paternal grandmother |
| 您 | nín | you (polite) |
| 做 | zuò | to do; to make |
| 什么 | shén me | what |
| 说 | shuō | to speak; to say |
| 我要 | wǒ yào | I want; I’m going to (do something) |
| 把 | bǎ | to hold; (structural particle indicating the object before the verb) |
| 它 | tā | it |
| 成 | chéng | to succeed; to complete; to become |
| 针 | zhēn | needle; pin |
| 这么 | zhè me | so; in this way |
| 大 | dà | big; large |
| 怎么 | zěn me | how?; what? |
| 可能 | kě néng | possible; might; perhaps |
| 我 | wǒ | I; me |
| 天天 | tiān tiān | every day |
| 就 | jiù | then; just; precisely |
| 会 | huì | can; to know how to; meeting |
| 变 | biàn | to change; to transform |
| 小 | xiǎo | small; little |
| 听了 | tīng le | listened; heard |
| 回到 | huí dào | to return to |
| 好好 | hǎo hǎo | properly; well; carefully |
| 后来 | hòu lái | afterwards; later |
| 成了 | chéng le | to be done; to be ready; that's enough!; that will do! |
| 很 | hěn | very |
| 有名 | yǒu míng | famous |
| 的 | de | possessive particle |
| 诗人 | shī rén | poet |
| 这个 | zhè ge | (pronoun) this; (adjective) this |
| 成语 | chéng yǔ | idiom; set expression |
| 是 | shì | to be; correct |
| 磨杵成针 | mó chǔ chéng zhēn | to grind an iron bar down to a fine needle (idiom); fig. to persevere in a difficult task; to study diligently |
| 意思 | yì si | meaning; idea |
| 只要 | zhǐ yào | as long as; provided that |
| 难 | nán | difficult |
| 事 | shì | matter; thing |
| 也 | yě | also |
| 能 | néng | can; to be able to |
| 例句 | lì jù | example sentence |
| 别 | bié | don't; other; do not |
| 怕 | pà | to be afraid; to fear |
| 练就 | liàn jiù | to master (a skill) |
| 行 | xíng | okay, all right; to do, to carry out; to walk, to travel |