gắng công mài sắt, chầy ngày nên kim
In real, traceable use. Part of the curated seed collection; community review is coming.
Meaning · English
Grind the iron long enough and it becomes a needle — patience is the whole of the craft.
Literally: strive to grind iron; slow days make the needle
Examples
Cứ luyện đi, gắng công mài sắt chầy ngày nên kim.Keep practicing — iron ground long enough becomes a needle.
Editorial example (VI sweep batch 040, illustrative)
Sources & notes
Discovered via Tục ngữ, cổ ngữ, gia ngôn (Huỳnh Tịnh Của, 1897; public domain, via vi.wikisource); retrieved 2026-08-01. Source: source ↗ Attested in Tục ngữ, cổ ngữ, gia ngôn (Huỳnh Tịnh Của, 1897). Definition is an original editorial synthesis, not copied from the source.
Common questions
What does “gắng công mài sắt, chầy ngày nên kim” mean?
Grind the iron long enough and it becomes a needle — patience is the whole of the craft. Literally: strive to grind iron; slow days make the needle
Is “gắng công mài sắt, chầy ngày nên kim” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.