韦编三绝
wéi biān sān jué
to study a book so hard its bindings wear out; to study with great diligence
Character by character
韦wéi
leather
leather
编biān
binding
binding
三sān
three times
three times
绝jué
break
break
Example
他对《史记》下过韦编三绝的功夫，很多篇章都背得出来。
He has studied the Records of the Grand Historian so hard that he can recite many chapters by heart.
Tone: positive (praise).
Usage and origin
From the 《史记》: Confucius read the Book of Changes until the leather cords of its bamboo strips broke three times. 三 means “many times”. Written; used in praise of someone else’s study, not of your own.
Learn this in Lesson 86 · HSK 6–7: 孔子其人 (Confucius the man)
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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