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锲而不舍 (qiè ér bù shě) — to persevere; to work with unflagging determination

Definition

锲而不舍 emphasizes perseverance through one concrete, persistent action — chipping away without stopping. Closer to 水滴石穿 (gradual steady effort); stronger than 再接再厉 (renewed effort after a break).

phrase
to persevereto work with unflagging determination

Examples

  • 锲而不舍，。
    Tā xué xí fēi cháng qiè ér bù shě, zhōng yú kǎo shàng le lǐ xiǎng de dà xué.
    He persevered in his studies and finally got into his ideal university.
  • 锲而不舍，。
    Chuàng yè lù shang xū yào qiè ér bù shě de jīng shén, bù néng qīng yì fàng qì.
    On the path of starting a business you need a persevering spirit — don't give up easily.
  • 锲而不舍，。
    Zhǐ yào qiè ér bù shě, rèn hé kùn nan dōu néng kè fú.
    As long as you persevere, any difficulty can be overcome.

Origin

Characters in this word

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 鍥; 锲 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
金金jīnmetal; gold
Sound part声符shēngfú
契
契qì鍥qiè
Same sound today

The traditional form 鍥 has 金, meaning metal or gold, and 契, which shows how it is pronounced; the simplified 锲 is a shorthand, so its parts are not the original pieces.

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

The shape of 而 is a picture of a beard.

Open 而 →

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

The picture in 不 originally showed a flower’s calyx; the “no” sense came later from a related character, not from this picture.

Open 不 →

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
口口kǒu
Sound part声符shēngfú
余
余yú舍shè
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

舍 is 余 plus 口. 余 was the original picture for this word, and 口 was later added to distinguish it.

Open 舍 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9HSK 2.0 Level 6

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