persevere to succeed; grind an iron pestle into a needle
Meanings
1 sense · 3 examplesidiom
to persevere with determination; with persistent effort, anything can be achieved
literaryAllusion to a Song dynasty story about the Tang poet Li Bai, who was inspired by an old woman grinding an iron pestle into a needle at Grinding Needle Stream (磨针溪, in modern Sichuan). The full proverb is often cited as "只要功夫深，铁杵磨成针" (If you work hard enough, you can grind an iron pestle into a needle).
Learning a foreign language requires persistence; as the saying goes, if you persevere, you can grind an iron pestle into a needle.
Don't worry about slow progress; as long as you keep practicing, you can grind an iron pestle into a needle, and you will surely succeed.
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An iron pestle can be ground into a needle; success comes naturally when effort is deep enough. As long as you are willing to put in the work, there is nothing you cannot accomplish.