千锤百炼
qiān chuí bǎi liàn
tempered by countless trials; polished over and over
Character by character
千qiān
thousand
thousand
锤chuí
hammer
hammer
百bǎi
hundred
hundred
炼liàn
smelt
smelt
Example
冠军的本领不是天生的，而是在训练场上千锤百炼出来的。
A champion’s skill is not inborn; it is forged through endless practice on the training ground.
Tone: positive (praise).
Usage and origin
From forging iron. Of people toughened by hardship, of skills, and of writing reworked through many drafts: 文章经过千锤百炼. Compare 精益求精 (3-5), which is about never being satisfied with what is already good.
Learn this in Lesson 124 · HSK 7–9: 人造太阳的一千秒 (Science news: 1,066 seconds of an artificial sun)
A dialogue, a reading, word cards with audio and a drill that uses it, in Learn Chinese with Bao. The first lessons of every level are free.
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