Chiese Idiom Story: To Study Hard

龙菲

中国成语故事：头悬梁，锥刺股

“头悬梁，锥刺股”由两个故事组成，它告诫人们：要想获得成功，就必须付出时间和精力。

Su Qin in the Warring States Period was an example of studying hard. He felt sleepy when he was reading until late at night， so he took an 1）awl and 2）stabbed it into his own legs. Thus， the sudden pain would wake him up， and he could continue reading.

In the Eastern Han Dynasty， a man named Sun Jing was a famous 3）politician. As a young man， he was 4）diligent in study and often forgot eating and sleeping. When he was reading， he tied his hair to the roof 5）beam with a rope. Therefore，

when he 6）dozed， he would feel pain and wake up as his hair was pulled upward by the rope， so that he would go on studying.

1） awl [ɔːl] n.锥子4） diligent [ˈdɪlɪdʒənt] adj.勤奋的

2） stab [stæb] v.刺5） beam [biːm] n.横梁

3） politician [ˌpɒləˈtɪʃn] n.政治家6） doze [dəʊz]v.打盹

战国时期的苏秦是努力学习的一个典型例子。他经常读书读到深夜，疲倦到想要打盹的时候就用锥子往大腿上刺一下，这样突然的痛感会使他猛然清醒起来，振作精神继续读书。

东汉时，有一位有名的政治家名为孙敬。年轻时，他勤奋好学，常废寝忘食。他读书时，用绳子的一头绑在自己的头发上，另一头绑在房子的房梁上。因此，当读书疲劳打瞌睡时只要头一低，绳子便牵住头发扯痛头皮，他就会因疼痛而清醒起来继续读书。

Fill in the blanks：

1. Su Qin took an awl and stabbed it into his own legs to stay ________ while reading.

2. Sun Jing was a famous politician in ________ Dynasty.

3. When he was reading， he tied his hair to the roof beam with a rope because the pain can ________ him ________ while he was sleepy.

Know More

If you want to be a learned person， you must study hard consciously. Because no one can take your place in seeking knowledge， only through your own efforts.

Under such harsh and poor conditions， the ancients were able to overcome difficulties and study hard without being affected by the external environment. How admirable this spirit of learning is！

要想成為一个有学问的人，必须自觉地刻苦读书。因为求知这件事任何人也代替不了你自己，只有通过自己努力才能学到。

古人在那样恶劣、贫困的情况下，能够克服困难，不受外界环境影响，努力学习。这种求学的精神多么令人钦佩！