諺語 · a single proverb
千錘百煉
Simplified: 千锤百炼
What does 千錘百煉 (qiān chuí bǎi liàn) mean?
千錘百煉 (qiān chuí bǎi liàn) is a four-character classical idiom (chéngyǔ 成語). Word for word it reads "a thousand hammerings and a hundred forgings." In use it means: Quality comes from relentless refinement; the finest work is shaped by repeated effort. You reach for it when you want that idea in one breath, and the Metal note it carries is why we hand it to those born in the Year of the Rooster.
Literally: "a thousand hammerings and a hundred forgings."
The reading
The sword was not born sharp. It was hammered, heated, folded, and hammered again. A thousand times. Each stroke removed something unnecessary and added something essential. The blade that emerges from this process carries every one of those strokes in its edge. Excellence is accumulated, not installed.
What kind of proverb it is
Source Proverbial; Jia Yi 賈誼 and later Tang poetry (esp. Liu Kun 劉琨)
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 Rooster, Year of the Rat, and Year of the Ox.
Questions
Is 千錘百煉 a real Chinese proverb?
Yes. 千錘百煉 (qiān chuí bǎi liàn) is a four-character classical idiom (chéngyǔ 成語), and it comes from Proverbial; Jia Yi 賈誼 and later Tang poetry (esp. Liu Kun 劉琨). 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 千錘百煉?
In Mandarin it is qiān chuí bǎi liàn. Read the pinyin above each character to follow the tones, or press the speaker beside the calligraphy to hear your browser read 千錘百煉 aloud in Mandarin.