摸爬滚打 (mō pá gǔn dǎ) — to go through challenging experiences and become seasoned (in one's profession, life, etc.)

Definition

Examples

• 他在工地上摸爬滚打了十几年，什么苦都吃过。
  Tā zài gōng dì shàng mō pá gǔn dǎ le shí jǐ nián, shén me kǔ dōu chī guò.
  He has been through the grind on construction sites for over a decade and has endured every kind of hardship.
• 这位老演员是从话剧团摸爬滚打出来的，演技特别扎实。
  Zhè wèi lǎo yǎn yuán shì cóng huà jù tuán mō pá gǔn dǎ chū lái de, yǎn jì tè bié zhā shi.
  This veteran actor came up through the rough-and-tumble of the drama troupe, so his acting skills are especially solid.
• 创业这些年，他经历了无数次的摸爬滚打，终于有了今天的成就。
  Chuàng yè zhè xiē nián, tā jīng lì le wú shù cì de mō pá gǔn dǎ, zhōng yú yǒu le jīn tiān de chéng jiù.
  In these years of starting a business, he has gone through countless trials and tribulations, and finally achieved what he has today.