諺語 · a single proverb
螞蟻啃骨頭
Simplified: 蚂蚁啃骨头
What does 螞蟻啃骨頭 (mǎ yǐ kěn gǔ tou) mean?
螞蟻啃骨頭 (mǎ yǐ kěn gǔ tou) is a folk proverb (yànyǔ 諺語). Word for word it reads "Ants gnawing on a bone." In use it means: Tackling an enormous, difficult task with patience and persistence, even when progress seems impossibly slow. The bone will eventually yield. You reach for it when you want that idea in one breath, and the Earth note it carries is why we hand it to those born in the Year of the Ox.
Literally: "Ants gnawing on a bone.."
The reading
Some problems will not be solved in a single sitting or a single season. They ask you to return, day after day, with the same small effort. Nobody applauds the ant halfway through the bone. But nobody can deny the ant when the bone is gone. Patience is not passive. It is the hardest form of action.
What kind of proverb it is
Source Chinese folk proverb (民间谚语)
Sits beside
Keep reading
Return to the Proverb Pond to draw another of the eighty-seven, or hear one read aloud. Read the rest of its chapter in Perseverance & the Long Road, or follow the years these lines belong to: Year of the Ox, Year of the Rat, and Year of the Tiger.
Questions
Is 螞蟻啃骨頭 a real Chinese proverb?
Yes. 螞蟻啃骨頭 (mǎ yǐ kěn gǔ tou) is a folk proverb (yànyǔ 諺語), and it comes from Chinese folk proverb (民间谚语). It is living Chinese heritage, given here with per-character pinyin and its source so you can trust the line, not a phrase invented in English.
How do you pronounce 螞蟻啃骨頭?
In Mandarin it is mǎ yǐ kěn gǔ tou. Read the pinyin above each character to follow the tones, or press the speaker beside the calligraphy to hear your browser read 螞蟻啃骨頭 aloud in Mandarin.