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滴水石穿

dī shuǐ shí chuāndictionary entry
DEFINITION CC-CEDICT
dripping water penetrates the stone (idiom) / constant perseverance yields success / You can achieve your aim if you try hard without giving up. / Persistent effort overcomes any difficulty.
Sources & editorial notes

Reference definitions: CC-CEDICT contributors and MDBG, CC BY-SA 4.0. Source release 2026-10-27T01:55:52Z. Imported 2026-10-27. Definition wording and meaning order are retained. Recognized pronunciation references are displayed with tone marks; the original source record is available below.

Source record: cd-f43da42f81a95e3d. Source SHA-256: bbc4b27f26bee1a262f4d7939667a040c7857c7fc0200a2fa7a86d3352a09eae.

Original source entry:

滴水石穿 滴水石穿 [di1 shui3 shi2 chuan1] /dripping water penetrates the stone (idiom); constant perseverance yields success/You can achieve your aim if you try hard without giving up./Persistent effort overcomes any difficulty./

Reference definitions and teaching material have separate provenance.

Reference information

The definitions above are from CC-CEDICT. Examples and usage notes are available on selected entries.

Character information

View the individual characters. Their meanings do not necessarily explain the meaning of the whole word.

  • 滴
    dī

    to drip / to let drip / to apply (eye drops etc) / (bound form) a drop (of liquid) / classifier for drops of liquid

  • 水
    shuǐ

    water / (after a name) ... River / to swim (used mostly in 會水|会水[huì shuǐ] and 水性[shuǐ xìng]) / (coll.) lacking in substance / shoddy / (bound form) additional cost / extra income / classifier for washings of a garment

    Shuǐ

    surname Shui / Shui ethnic group

  • 石
    dàn

    dry measure for grain equal to ten dou 斗[dǒu] / one hundred liters / ancient pr. [shí]

    shí

    rock / stone / stone inscription / one of the eight categories of ancient musical instruments 八音[bā yīn]

    Shí

    surname Shi / abbr. for Shijiazhuang 石家莊|石家庄[Shí jiā zhuāng], the capital of Hebei

  • 穿
    chuān

    to bore through / to pierce / to perforate / to go through (e.g. a tunnel) / to cross (e.g. a street) / to thread / to string together / to wear / to put on (clothes, shoes etc.) / verb complement indicating thoroughness or completion

Reference definitions from CC-CEDICT.