水滴石穿
shuǐ dī shí chuān
persistence wears down any obstacle
Character by character
水shuǐ
water
water
滴dī
drip
drip
石shí
stone
stone
穿chuān
pierce
pierce
Example
学语言要有水滴石穿的精神。
Learning a language takes the patience of water wearing through stone.
Tone: positive (praise).
Usage and origin
Also 滴水穿石; in a Song tale a magistrate sentenced a clerk caught stealing a single coin, ruling that a coin a day adds up just as dripping water wears through stone.
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