諺語 · a single proverb
鑿壁偷光
Simplified: 凿壁偷光
What does 鑿壁偷光 (záo bì tōu guāng) mean?
鑿壁偷光 (záo bì tōu guāng) is a four-character classical idiom (chéngyǔ 成語). Word for word it reads "bore through the wall to steal light." In use it means: Overcome poverty and hardship through sheer determination to learn. You reach for it when you want that idea in one breath, and the Fire note it carries is why we hand it to those born in the Year of the Rat.
Literally: "bore through the wall to steal light."
The reading
He had no candle, so he cut a hole in the wall to read by his neighbor's light. The obstacle was real. The workaround was real. And so was the scholarship that followed. Resources are distributed unequally. Determination is not.
What kind of proverb it is
Source Miscellaneous Records of the Western Capital 西京雜記, Kuang Heng 匡衡
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 Rat, Year of the Ox, and Year of the Tiger.
Questions
Is 鑿壁偷光 a real Chinese proverb?
Yes. 鑿壁偷光 (záo bì tōu guāng) is a four-character classical idiom (chéngyǔ 成語), and it comes from Miscellaneous Records of the Western Capital 西京雜記, Kuang Heng 匡衡. 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 鑿壁偷光?
In Mandarin it is záo bì tōu guāng. Read the pinyin above each character to follow the tones, or press the speaker beside the calligraphy to hear your browser read 鑿壁偷光 aloud in Mandarin.