諺語 · a single proverb
鍥而不捨
Simplified: 锲而不舍
What does 鍥而不捨 (qiè ér bù shě) mean?
鍥而不捨 (qiè ér bù shě) is a four-character classical idiom (chéngyǔ 成語). Word for word it reads "to carve and not let go." In use it means: To keep chiseling without ever giving up, until even stone yields. 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 Ox.
Literally: "to carve and not let go."
The reading
Set the blade down and rotten wood defeats you. Keep carving and metal and stone give way. The difference was never the hardness of the material. It was whether your hand came back to it the next day, and the next.
The story
From the Xunzi, the essay 勸學, Exhortation to Learning, of the Warring States period: if you carve and give up, rotten wood will not break, but if you carve and do not let go, metal and stone can be engraved. The difference is never the hardness of the material, only whether the hand comes back to it.
On the project that has started to feel like carving stone, resolve simply to return your hand to it tomorrow, and the day after. Set the blade down and soft wood defeats you; keep carving and even metal gives way.
What kind of proverb it is
Source Xunzi 荀子, 勸學 (Exhortation to Learning): 鍥而不舍，金石可鏤; Warring States period
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 Wealth, Work & Diligence, or follow the years these lines belong to: Year of the Ox, Year of the Rat, and Year of the Monkey.
Questions
Is 鍥而不捨 a real Chinese proverb?
Yes. 鍥而不捨 (qiè ér bù shě) is a four-character classical idiom (chéngyǔ 成語), and it comes from Xunzi 荀子, 勸學 (Exhortation to Learning): 鍥而不舍，金石可鏤; Warring States period. 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 鍥而不捨?
In Mandarin it is qiè ér bù shě. Read the pinyin above each character to follow the tones, or press the speaker beside the calligraphy to hear your browser read 鍥而不捨 aloud in Mandarin.