Grinding an Iron Pestle into a Needle磨杵成针

张开兰

“ 磨杵成针” 出自宋代祝穆《方舆胜览· 眉州· 磨针溪》， 后常以此勉励人刻苦用功， 以求有所成就。

Li Bai was a great poet in the Tang Dynasty. However， he was lazyand afraid of difficulties when he was a young boy. He did not like tostudy and always ran out to play without finishing his homework. Being1）absent-minded in class， he made slow 2）progress in his studies.

One day， Li Bai met an old woman near a riverbank. She wasgrinding a very thick pestle on a rock. Driven by 3）curiosity， he asked theold woman at once， “Why are you grinding this iron pestle？” “I want to turnthis thick pestle into a needle，” replied the old woman. Li Bai was shockedand asked， “How can you turn such a thick iron pestle into a needle？ Thiswould take many years！” “This doesnt matter. As long as I am willing toput my effort and continue to work very hard， I will be able to turn it into afine needle！” The old woman answered confidently.

Deeply moved by what the old woman had said， Li Bai felt ashamedand made up his mind to study hardsince then. Finally， he made greatprogress in his studies， becoming one ofthe greatest poets in Chinese history.

1） absent-minded adj. 心不在焉的

2） progress n. 进展

3） curiosity n. 求知欲；好奇心

李白是唐代一位伟大的诗人。然而，当他还是个小男孩的时候，他又懒又怕困难。他不喜欢学习，总是不完成作业就跑出去玩。由于上课心不在焉，他的学业进展缓慢。

一天，李白在河边遇到一位老妇人。她正在一块岩石上磨一根很粗的铁杵。出于好奇，他立刻问老妇人：“你为什么要磨这根铁杵？”“我想把这根粗杵变成一根针。”老妇人回答说。李白吃惊地叫起来：“这么粗的铁杵，怎么可能磨成一根针呢？这要花很多年！”“没关系。只要我愿意付出努力，并持续努力，我就一定能把它变成一根细针！”老妇人自信地回答道。

李白被老妇人的话深深打动了，他感到很惭愧，从那时起，他下定决心要努力学习。最终，他在学业上取得了很大的进步，成为中国历史上最伟大的诗人之一。

Answer the following questions：

1. What did Li Bai not like to do when he was young？

2. How did Li Bai feel after talking with the old woman？

Know More

The story tells us that no one in the world can succeed casually. To get goodgrades in study， one must have determination and perseverance. Only with effort canone reap the rewards. With the correct goal and the appropriate method， the moreefforts are put in， the more rewards will be gained.

這个故事告诉我们世界上没有谁能够随随便便成功。一个人学习上要想取得好的成绩，必须有决心、有毅力。有付出才会有收获。如果目标正确，方法得当，付出越多，收获也就越多。

参考答案：1. He did not like to study. 2. He was ashamed.