Study Chinese idioms about achievement, determination, and perseverance. These expressions inspire resilience and celebrate the path to success.
152 idioms in this category
jiàng xīn dú yùn
“Craftsman's heart uniquely operates”
Apply creative genius; show ingenuity
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dú jù jiàng xīn
“Uniquely possess craftsman's heart”
Show great ingenuity; have original design
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bié jù yī gé
“Separately possess one style”
Have unique style; be distinctive
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dú shù yī zhì
“Alone raise one banner”
Be unique; have distinctive style
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dú zhàn áo tóu
“Alone occupy the turtle's head”
Come first; win top honors
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chū shén rù huà
“Transcend spirit, enter transformation”
Reach supernatural skill level
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lú huǒ chún qīng
“Furnace fire pure blue”
Reach perfection; master completely
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wú xiè kě jī
“No crack to strike”
Flawless; invulnerable to criticism
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gōng chéng míng jiù
“Merit achieved, name established”
Achieve success and fame
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míng lì shuāng shōu
“Fame and profit both obtained”
Gain both fame and fortune
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bù bù gāo shēng
“Step by step rising high”
Advance steadily; continuous promotion
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qīng yún zhí shàng
“Blue clouds straight up”
Rise quickly to high position
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fú yáo zhí shàng
“Whirlwind spiraling straight up”
Rise rapidly; soar straight up
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fēi huáng téng dá
“Flying yellow horse soaring”
Rise to fame and fortune rapidly
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píng bù qīng yún
“Level steps to blue clouds”
Rise rapidly to high position
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qí kāi dé shèng
“Flag opens, obtain victory”
Win at the very start; immediate success
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zhàn wú bù shèng
“Battle nothing not won”
Win every battle; be undefeated
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gōng wú bù kè
“Attack nothing not conquered”
Win every battle; never fail in attacks
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suǒ xiàng wú dí
“Wherever directed, no enemies”
Be invincible; have no rivals
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suǒ xiàng pī mǐ
“Wherever directed, all fall”
Be invincible; defeat all opponents
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shì rú pò zhú
“Momentum like splitting bamboo”
Have irresistible momentum; sweep all before one
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shèng quàn zài wò
“Victory ticket in grasp”
Have victory assured; be confident of winning
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wěn cāo shèng quàn
“Firmly hold the winning ticket”
Have victory in the bag; be certain to win
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fān shān yuè lǐng
“Cross mountains, pass ridges”
Cross difficult terrain; overcome major obstacles
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bá shān shè shuǐ
“Climb mountains, ford waters”
Travel through hardship; overcome obstacles
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fēng cān lù sù
“Eat in wind, sleep in dew”
Endure hardships of travel; rough it
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rèn zhòng dào yuǎn
“Heavy responsibility, long road”
Heavy burden and long journey ahead
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sǐ ér hòu yǐ
“Only stop after death”
Continue until death; lifelong commitment
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jū gōng jìn cuì
“Bow down and exhaust oneself”
Devote oneself completely; work until exhaustion
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pī gān lì dǎn
“Expose liver, drain gallbladder”
Give one's all; be completely sincere
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lì jīng tú zhì
“Exert essence, plan governance”
Work hard to improve governance
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zī zī bù juàn
“Diligently, without fatigue”
Work tirelessly and diligently
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áng shǒu tǐng xiōng
“Head high, chest out”
Walk proudly; show confidence
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rú hǔ tiān yì
“Like tiger adding wings”
Add to one's strength; become even more powerful
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tuō yǐng ér chū
“Tip of awl emerges from bag”
Stand out; distinguish oneself
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mǎn zài ér guī
“Fully loaded and return”
Return with rich rewards
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xīn xīn xiàng róng
“Flourishing toward prosperity”
Thriving; flourishing
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kǔ jìn gān lái
“Bitterness ends sweetness comes”
After hardship comes happiness
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jīng tiān dòng dì
“Startle heaven shake earth”
Earth-shaking; tremendous
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shú néng shēng qiǎo
“Familiarity can produce skill”
Practice makes perfect
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wú xiè kě jī
“No gap can be attacked”
Flawless; beyond criticism
This idiom describes having no (无) weakness or gap (懈) that can (可) be attacked (击). Originally a military term describing impenetrable defenses, it e...
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gè xiǎn shén tōng
“Each displays divine powers”
Each shows their special skills
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pò tiān huāng
“Breaking heaven's wasteland”
For the first time ever; unprecedented
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bái shǒu qǐ jiā
“White hands start a family/business”
Build up from nothing; self-made
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dú yī wú èr
“Unique one without a second”
One of a kind; unique
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bō yún jiàn rì
“Push away clouds to see the sun”
Clear away confusion to see the truth
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míng liè qián máo
“Name listed among the front reeds”
Rank among the best; be at the top
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lú huǒ chún qīng
“Furnace fire pure blue”
Highest level of mastery; consummate skill
This idiom derives from Daoist alchemy, where the furnace fire (炉火) turning pure blue (纯青) indicated the highest temperature needed for successful tra...
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qīng ér yì jǔ
“Light and easy to lift”
Easy; effortless
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yī wǎng wú qián
“Once going, nothing ahead can stop”
Press forward courageously
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yī fān fēng shùn
“One sail with favorable wind”
Smooth sailing; everything going well
This idiom depicts a sailing vessel with one (一) sail (帆) catching favorable (顺) wind (风), moving smoothly toward its destination. It emerged from Chi...
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bù qū bù náo
“Neither bend nor yield”
Indomitable; unyielding
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wú yǔ lún bǐ
“Nothing to compare with”
Incomparable; unparalleled
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dú dāng yī miàn
“Alone handle one side”
Capable of taking charge independently
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zhì zhī dù wài
“Place it beyond consideration”
To disregard; put aside consideration of
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yǔ hòu chūn sǔn
“Bamboo shoots after spring rain”
Emerging rapidly in great numbers
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dà xiǎn shēn shǒu
“Greatly display one's abilities”
To show off one's abilities
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yī xīn yī yì
“One heart one mind”
Wholeheartedly; with undivided attention
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jiǎo tà shí dì
“Feet stepping on solid ground”
Being practical and down-to-earth
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hòu lái jū shàng
“Latecomers end up on top”
Latecomers surpass the early starters
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mǎ dào chéng gōng
“Success upon the horse's arrival”
Achieve immediate success
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hǔ tóu shé wěi
“Tiger head snake tail”
Strong start with weak finish
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hǎi dǐ lāo zhēn
“Sea bottom dredge needle”
Attempt an extremely difficult search
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fèi qǐn wàng shí
“Abandon sleep forget food”
So absorbed as to neglect basic needs
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dōng shān zài qǐ
“East mountain again rise”
Make a comeback after setback or retirement
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dé tiān dú hòu
“Receive heaven unique favor”
Uniquely blessed with natural advantages
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bǎi fā bǎi zhòng
“Hundred shots hundred hits”
Perfect accuracy every single time
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zì lì gēng shēng
“Self-strength regenerate life”
Self-reliance without external dependence
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zhēng xiān kǒng hòu
“Compete first fear last”
Rush eagerly to be first, not last
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zhāo qì péng bó
“Morning vigor flourishing”
Vibrant youthful energy and enthusiasm
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zài jiē zài lì
“Again connect again encourage”
Continue efforts with undiminished enthusiasm
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yǒu tiáo bù wěn
“Have order not chaotic”
Methodical and well-organized action
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luò yáng zhǐ guì
“Luoyang paper expensive”
Extraordinary popularity of intellectual work
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lì wǎn kuáng lán
“Pull back raging tides”
Heroically reversing catastrophic situation
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hū fēng huàn yǔ
“Summon wind, call rain”
Wielding extraordinary influence over others
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lóng mǎ jīng shén
“Dragon-horse spirit”
Youthful vigor despite old age
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chū lèi bá cuì
“Rise above the crowd”
Excellence that outshines all others
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qián tú wú liàng
“Boundless path ahead”
Unlimited potential for future success
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dǎn dà xīn xì
“Bold gallbladder, careful heart”
Courage balanced with careful attention
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tiān yī wú fèng
“Heavenly garment without seams”
Flawless and perfectly seamless
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rào liáng sān rì
“Lingering around beams for days”
Lasting impact of performance
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wén bù jiā diǎn
“Writing needing no corrections”
Perfect execution without revision
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bàn tú ér fèi
“Abandon halfway through journey”
Quitting before completion
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yú gōng yí shān
“Foolish old man moves mountains”
Persistence overcomes huge obstacles
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wò xīn cháng dǎn
“Sleep on firewood, taste gall”
Endure hardship for future success
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dà qì wǎn chéng
“Great talents mature late”
Excellence develops with time
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tài rán zì ruò
“Calm naturally as before”
Maintain perfect composure under pressure
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xìn shǒu niān lái
“Trustingly hand plucks”
Create effortlessly from mastery
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fēng yǔ wú zǔ
“Wind rain no hindrance”
Persist despite difficult conditions
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zì qiáng bù xī
“Self-strengthen without ceasing”
Strive continuously for self-improvement
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zuǒ yòu féng yuán
“Left right meet springs”
Find advantage in all directions
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qiān chuí bǎi liàn
“Thousand hammers hundred forges”
Perfected through repeated refinement
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miào shǒu huí chūn
“Skilled hands bring spring”
Extraordinary healing skill
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qiǎo duó tiān gōng
“Skill surpasses nature's work”
Craftsmanship beyond natural limits
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dī shuǐ bù lòu
“No water drop leaks”
Absolutely flawless and thorough
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tōng xiāo dá dàn
“Through night reach dawn”
Work through the entire night
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jí liú yǒng jìn
“Rapids bravely advance”
Advance boldly through difficulty
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dēng fēng zào jí
“Climb peak reach limit”
Reach highest attainable level
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ǒu xīn lì xuè
“Vomit heart drip blood”
Invest utmost effort and emotion
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gù ruò jīn tāng
“Solid as metal soup”
Impenetrable defenses
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zhī nán ér jìn
“Know difficulty yet advance”
Press on despite awareness of challenges
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lín wēi bù jù
“Face danger without fear”
Courage under pressure
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hòu jī bó fā
“Thick accumulation thin launch”
Success after long preparation
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gè dé qí suǒ
“Each finds its place”
Everything in right place
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mù wú quán niú
“Eyes see no whole ox”
Achieve instinctive mastery
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jù jīng huì shén
“Gather essence meet spirit”
Concentrate fully
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jīng yì qiú jīng
“Perfect seek more perfect”
Constantly improve
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hào hào dàng dàng
“Vast mighty flow”
Vast and mighty
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wàng qí xiàng bèi
“See only their neck back”
Almost catch up
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fēng yún jì huì
“Wind cloud gather meeting”
Perfect moment of opportunity
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fèng máo lín jiǎo
“Phoenix feather unicorn horn”
Extremely rare
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yī qì hē chéng
“Complete in one breath”
Complete in one go
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pī xīng dài yuè
“Wear stars crown moon”
Work day and night
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yù rǔ yú chéng
“Jade becomes perfect”
Perfect through careful work
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fù zhòng zhì yuǎn
“Bear weight reach far”
Endure now for future
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bì yuè xiū huā
“Moon hides flowers shy”
Exceptionally beautiful
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rú yú dé shuǐ
“Fish finds water”
In perfect element
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mù bù zhuǎn jīng
“Eyes do not turn away”
Focus intently
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jù shā chéng tǎ
“Gather sand make tower”
Small things build achievement
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hè lì jī qún
“Crane stands among chickens”
Stand out from crowd
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jīng wèi tián hǎi
“Bird fills sea with pebbles”
Persist despite impossibility
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tiě chǔ chéng zhēn
“Iron rod becomes needle”
Success through persistence
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bīng xiāo wǎ jiě
“Ice melts tile breaks”
Complete collapse
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záo bì tōu guāng
“Pierce wall steal light”
Study despite poverty
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xuán liáng cì gǔ
“Hang beam stab thigh”
Study extremely hard
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chūn cán dào sǐ
“Spring silkworm until death”
Selfless dedication
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pī jīng zhǎn jí
“Cut thorns break brambles”
Overcome all obstacles
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qiè ér bù shě
“Carve and not stop”
Persevere until success
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rì jī yuè lěi
“Days pile months gather”
Gradual accumulation builds up
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yī gǔ zuò qì
“One drum make spirit”
Complete in one effort
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yùn chóu wéi wò
“Plan behind curtain”
Plan strategy carefully
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shuǐ dào qú chéng
“Water comes channel forms”
Success comes naturally
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dēng táng rù shì
“Enter hall reach inner room”
Progress from basic to advanced
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xiōng yǒu qiū hè
“Hills and valleys in heart”
Have great vision
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jǔ zhòng ruò qīng
“Lift heavy as light”
Make difficult look easy
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yī sī bù gǒu
“Not loose one thread”
Extremely careful and thorough
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wén jī qǐ wǔ
“Hear rooster rise dance”
Practice with determination
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jí yè chéng qiú
“Gather fur make coat”
Small efforts make big results
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fù zhòng qián xíng
“Carry weight march forward”
Progress despite difficulties
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máo suì zì jiàn
“Mao Sui recommends himself”
Volunteer oneself confidently
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bǎi chǐ gān tóu
“Hundred foot pole top”
Achieve even greater success
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shì bàn gōng bèi
“Half effort double result”
Less effort, better results
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bèn niǎo xiān fēi
“Slow bird flies first”
Work harder to compensate
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nì shuǐ xíng zhōu
“Boat moving against current”
Progress needs constant effort
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qīng chū yú lán
“Blue comes from indigo plant”
Student surpasses master
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shǒu shí rú jīn
“Value time like gold”
Value time preciously
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pò fǔ chén zhōu
“Break pots sink boats”
Commit with no retreat
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tiān dào chóu qín
“Heaven's way rewards diligence”
Heaven rewards diligence
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mén tíng ruò shì
“Doorway busy as market”
Extremely popular
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shuǐ dī shí chuān
“Water drops pierce stone”
Persistence achieves anything
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bǎi zhé bù náo
“Bend hundred times never yield”
Unshakeable despite adversity
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yī míng jīng rén
“Bird cry that startles all”
Sudden, remarkable success
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