Chinese Idiom: 凿壁偷光 (Zao Bi Tou Guang)
English Translation: Bore a hole in the wall to steal light
pīn yīn: záo bì tōu guāng
Idiom Meaning: Originally, this idiom referred to the act of digging through a wall to read by a neighbor’s light; it is now often used to describe diligent study and hard work in acquiring knowledge.
Historical Source: The idiom originates from the book Miscellaneous Records of the Western Capital (《西京杂记》), Volume 2.
Idiom Story:
During the Western Han dynasty, there was a man named Kuang Heng (匡衡) who loved to study. However, his family was very poor; they could not afford schooling or books, so he had to borrow books from others to read. At that time, books were extremely valuable, and those who owned them were reluctant to lend them out.
During the busy farming season, Kuang Heng worked short jobs for wealthy families who owned books, not for pay but merely to borrow a few books to read. After a few years, he grew up and became the main laborer in his family. He worked in the fields all day and only had a little time to read during the noon break. However, this time was too limited, and he longed to study more in the evenings. Unfortunately, his family was so impoverished that they could not even afford candles for light.
One day, while worrying about how to read at night without money for lamp oil, he noticed a sliver of light shining through a crack in the wall from his neighbor’s house. Delighted, he decided to enlarge the crack to let in more light. He used the light streaming through the hole to illuminate his books and continued his studies.
Eventually, Kuang Heng became a very learned and knowledgeable person, demonstrating that diligence and resourcefulness can lead to success, even in the face of adversity.
