The Iron Rod and the Needle

HSK 3 · 151 characters · Idioms for Beginners

Young Li Bai meets an old woman grinding an iron rod into a needle.

李白lǐ bái小时候xiǎo shí hou不bù爱ài读书dú shū。When Li Bai was little, he did not like to study.一天yī tiān，他tā从cóng学校xué xiào跑pǎo了le出去chū qù。One day, he ran out of school.

他tā在zài河边hé biān看到kàn dào一位yī wèi老奶奶lǎo nǎi nai。By the river, he saw an old woman.老奶奶lǎo nǎi nai在zài石头shí tou上shàng磨mó一根yī gēn铁棒tiě bàng。The old woman was grinding an iron rod on a stone.

李白lǐ bái问wèn：“奶奶nǎi nai，您nín在zài做zuò什么shén me？”Li Bai asked, "Grandma, what are you doing?"

老奶奶lǎo nǎi nai说shuō：“我要wǒ yào把bǎ它tā磨mó成chéng一根yī gēn针zhēn。”The old woman said, "I am going to grind it into a needle."

李白lǐ bái说shuō：“铁棒tiě bàng这么zhè me大dà，怎么zěn me可能kě néng？”Li Bai said, "The iron rod is so big — how is that possible?"

老奶奶lǎo nǎi nai说shuō：“我wǒ天天tiān tiān磨mó，它tā就jiù会huì变biàn小xiǎo。”The old woman said, "I grind it every day, so it will get smaller."

李白lǐ bái听了tīng le，回到huí dào学校xué xiào好好hǎo hǎo读书dú shū。When Li Bai heard this, he went back to school and studied hard.后来hòu lái，他tā成了chéng le很hěn有名yǒu míng的de诗人shī rén。Later, he became a very famous poet.

这个zhè ge成语chéng yǔ是shì“磨杵成针mó chǔ chéng zhēn”。This idiom is "grinding an iron rod into a needle."意思yì si是shì：只要zhǐ yào天天tiān tiān做zuò，难nán的de事shì也yě能néng做zuò成chéng。It means: if you keep at it every day, even hard things can be done.例句lì jù：别bié怕pà难nán，磨杵成针mó chǔ chéng zhēn，天天tiān tiān练就liàn jiù行xíng。Example: Don't fear hard things — keep grinding, just practice every day.