Shareables · HSK 2 · 文 · Culture
成语 · 熟能生巧
Familiarity breeds skill — the four characters behind every hour of practice.
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熟能生巧shú néng shēng qiǎopractice makes perfect — skill is born of familiarity
逐字 · CHARACTER BY CHARACTER
| Character | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 熟 | shú | familiar, well-practised |
| 能 | néng | can, is able to |
| 生 | shēng | to produce, to give birth to |
| 巧 | qiǎo | skill, deftness |
An old archer watched an oil seller pour oil through the square hole of a coin without wetting it. Asked how, he said only: 我亦无他，惟手熟尔 — nothing special, my hand is simply used to it.
用法 · IN USE
Bié zháojí, shú néng shēng qiǎo.别着急，熟能生巧。Don't rush — you get good by doing it a lot.
欧阳修《卖油翁》· Ouyang Xiu, 11th century
More from HSK 2
- 唐诗 · 静夜思 — Twenty characters every Chinese child knows by heart, and almost all of them are HSK 1.
- 中秋节 · The words of Mid-Autumn — One full moon, one round cake, and the word that means both: 团圆.
- 追 · Follow up, genuinely curious — History, food, their village — chase whatever thread they just opened. Very little language unlocks hundreds of hours of practice.
- 颜色和外貌 · Colors and Appearance — The 8 words of Colors and Appearance, with readings.
- 交流和信息 · Communication and Information — The 10 words of Communication and Information, with readings.
- 连词和语篇副词 · Conjunctions and Discourse Adverbs — The 12 words of Conjunctions and Discourse Adverbs, with readings.
- 日常动作 · Daily Actions — The 10 words of Daily Actions, with readings.
- 方向和位置 · Directions and Position — The 8 words of Directions and Position, with readings.
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