Dictionary › 滴水穿石

滴水穿石

dī shuǐ chuān shí

4-character word

What 滴水穿石 means

1. dripping water penetrates the stone (idiom); constant perseverance yields success
2. You can achieve your aim if you try hard without giving up.
3. Persistent effort overcomes any difficulty.

The characters in 滴水穿石

• 滴dīto drip; to let drip; to apply (eye drops etc); (bound form) a drop (of liquid)
• 水shuǐwater; (after a name) ... River; to swim (used mostly in 会水
• 穿chuānto bore through; to pierce; to perforate; to go through (e.g. a tunnel)…
• 石shírock; stone; stone inscription

Example sentences

• 滴水穿石。
  Constant dripping wears away a stone.
• 滴水穿石，不是靠力量，而是靠时间。
  A water drop hollows a stone not by force but by falling often.