千锤百炼

Pronunciation: qiān chuí bǎi liàn
Literal meaning: Thousand hammers hundred forges

Origin & Usage

This metallurgical metaphor describes something subjected to a thousand (千) hammer blows (锤) and a hundred (百) forgings (炼), originating from Han Dynasty descriptions of sword-making. Historical records detail how the finest blades required repeated folding and hammering to remove impurities and strengthen the metal. During the Tang Dynasty, literary critics adopted it to describe the rigorous revision process required for excellent writing. The specific numbers suggest both hyperbolic quantity and the systematic nature of refinement, where each cycle of tempering improved quality. Modern usage describes any creation refined through repeated testing and improvement cycles, emphasizing how quality emerges through deliberate, repeated refinement rather than initial inspiration.

Examples

English: "The final manuscript reflected years of writing, editing, and refinement"

Chinese: 最终的手稿反映了多年的写作、编辑和改进

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