Effort & Endurance
磨斧作針
마부작침
mó fǔ zuò zhēn
Ma-bu-jak-chim
磨
갈 마
斧
도끼 부
作
지을 작
針
바늘 침
Character by character
Meaning
Grind an axe into a needle — dogged effort achieves even the impossible.
Origin
The poet Li Bai, quitting his studies, met an old woman grinding an axe to make a needle and turned back.
How it is used
Encouragement for effort that is slow but never stops.
Hanja磨斧作針
Simplified磨斧作针
Korean reading마부작침
Pinyinmó fǔ zuò zhēn
Frequently asked questions
Q. What does Ma-bu-jak-chim mean?
磨斧作針 · Grind an axe into a needle — dogged effort achieves even the impossible.
Q. Where does Ma-bu-jak-chim come from?
The poet Li Bai, quitting his studies, met an old woman grinding an axe to make a needle and turned back.
Q. How is Ma-bu-jak-chim used?
Encouragement for effort that is slow but never stops.
Idioms in the same group
愚公移山 U-gong-i-sanOld Man Yu moves the mountain — persistence accomplishes anything.螢雪之功 Hyeong-seol-ji-gongMerit earned reading by fireflies and snow-light — study achieved in hardship.切齒腐心 Jeol-chi-bu-simGrinding your teeth and letting your heart rot — nursing a grievance.臥薪嘗膽 Wa-sin-sang-damSleep on firewood and taste gall — endure any hardship to settle a score.百折不屈 Baek-jeol-bul-gulBroken a hundred times and still unbent.七顚八起 Chil-jeon-pal-giFall seven times, rise eight.
The idioms used in Korea mix phrases from the Chinese classics with ones coined in Korea. Where an expression is not used in China, the entry says so.