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水滴石穿. In DICTIOUS you will not only get to know all the dictionary meanings for the word
水滴石穿, but we will also tell you about its etymology, its characteristics and you will know how to say
水滴石穿 in singular and plural. Everything you need to know about the word
水滴石穿 you have here. The definition of the word
水滴石穿 will help you to be more precise and correct when speaking or writing your texts. Knowing the definition of
水滴石穿, as well as those of other words, enriches your vocabulary and provides you with more and better linguistic resources.
Chinese
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water; river
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a drop; to drip
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rock; stone; 10 pecks
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to bore through; pierce; perforate to bore through; pierce; perforate; penetrate; pass through; to dress; to wear; to put on; to thread |
| trad. (水滴石穿)
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水
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滴
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石
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穿
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| simp. #(水滴石穿)
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水
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滴
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石
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穿
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| Literally: “dripping water wears through rock”.
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Etymology
From Shizi:
Later popularized by the following story:
張乖崖為崇陽令，一吏自庫中出，視其鬢傍巾下有一錢，詰之，乃庫中錢也。乖崖命杖之，吏勃然曰：「一錢何足道，乃杖我耶？爾能杖我，不能斬弟也！」乖崖援筆判曰：「一日一錢，千日一千，繩鋸木斷，水滴石穿。」自仗劍，下階斬其首，申臺府自劾。崇陽人至今傳之。 [Classical Chinese, trad.]
张乖崖为崇阳令，一吏自库中出，视其鬓傍巾下有一钱，诘之，乃库中钱也。乖崖命杖之，吏勃然曰：「一钱何足道，乃杖我耶？尔能杖我，不能斩弟也！」乖崖援笔判曰：「一日一钱，千日一千，绳锯木断，水滴石穿。」自仗剑，下阶斩其首，申台府自劾。崇阳人至今传之。 [Classical Chinese, simp.]- From: Luo Dajing, Jade Dew from the Forest of Cranes (鶴林玉露)
- Zhāng Guāiyá wéi chóngyáng lìng, yī lì zì kù zhōng chū, shì qí bìn bàng jīn xià yǒu yī qián, jié zhī, nǎi kù zhōng qián yě. Guāiyá mìng zhàng zhī, lì bórán yuē: “Yī qián hézú dào, nǎi zhàng wǒ yē? Ěr néng zhàng wǒ, bùnéng zhǎn dì yě!” Guāiyá yuán bǐ pàn yuē: “Yī rì yī qián, qiān rì yī qiān, shéngjùmùduàn, shuǐdīshíchuān.” Zì zhàng jiàn, xià jiē zhǎn qí shǒu, shēn táifǔ zì hé. Chóngyáng rén zhìjīn chuán zhī.
- One day when Zhang Guaiya was the governor of Chongyang County, he saw a petty official coming out from the treasury, with a coin put on his headpiece near his sideburns. He asked him about that, and he replied that the coin was from the treasury. Guaiya ordered him to be caned. The official was enraged and said, “One coin is not worth mentioning. Why would you cane me? Even you could cane me, you shouldn't behead me!” Guaiya took his brush and wrote the judgement, “If a man steals one coin every day, he would have stolen 1000 coins after 1000 days. A rope can cut down a tree eventually, and dripping water wears through rock eventually.” He then took the sword himself and the executed that official, and reported to the censorate so as to let himself take the responsibility. People in Chongyang County are still praising him now.
Pronunciation
Proverb
水滴石穿
- little strokes fell great oaks
Synonyms
See also