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恨铁不成钢

hèntiěbùchénggāng

Traditional: 恨鐵不成鋼

lit. to hate iron for not becoming steel / to feel resentful towards sb for failing to meet expectations and impatient to see improvement (idiom)

Character Breakdown

恨
hèn
to dislike, to hate, to resent
HSK 5
铁
tiě
iron; strong, solid, firm
HSK 3
不
bù
no, not, un-; negative prefix
HSK 1
成
chéng
to accomplish; to become; to complete, to finish; to succeed
HSK 3
钢
gāng
steel; hard, strong, tough
HSK 4

Additional Information

Category
Chinese
HSK Character Level
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HSK Word Level
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