English Original
Perseverance Prevails
This is a legend about Li Bai, a great poet of the Tang Dynasty. As a child, Li Bai was mischievous and disliked studying. One day, while playing by a river, he saw an old woman grinding an iron rod on a large stone. Driven by curiosity, he approached and asked, "What are you doing, Granny?"
"I am grinding this iron rod," replied the old woman without stopping.
"What for?" he asked again.
"To make a sewing needle," she answered.
"What?!" exclaimed young Li Bai, puzzled. "You want to grind such a thick rod into a needle? It will take many years!"
"That does not matter," she said. "As long as I persevere, nothing in the world is impossible. I can certainly make a needle from this rod."
Deeply moved by her words, Li Bai began to apply himself diligently to his studies. He eventually became one of China's greatest poets.
中文翻译
铁杵磨成针
这是一个关于唐代大诗人李白的传说。李白小时候很顽皮，不喜欢学习。一天，他在河边玩耍时，看见一位老妇人正在一块大石头上磨一根铁棒。他好奇地走上前问道：“老婆婆，您在做什么？”
“我在磨这根铁棒，”老妇人头也不抬地答道。
“磨它做什么用呢？”李白又问。
“做一根缝衣针，”她回答。
“什么？！”小李白十分困惑，“您想把这幺粗的铁棒磨成针？那得花好多年啊！”
“这没关系，”她说，“只要我坚持不懈，世上就没有做不到的事。我当然能把铁棒磨成针。”
老妇人的话深深打动了李白。从此，他开始发奋学习，最终成为中国最伟大的诗人之一。