Back to Dictionary
恨铁不成钢
恨鐵不成鋼
hèntiěbùchénggāng
1. lit. to hate iron for not becoming steel
2. 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 9 丶
铁
tiě
iron; strong, solid, firm
HSK 3 10 丶
不
bù
no, not, un-; negative prefix
HSK 1 4 丶
成
chéng
to accomplish; to become; to complete, to finish; to succeed
HSK 3 6 丶
钢
gāng
steel; hard, strong, tough
HSK 4 9 丶

Metadata

Category
Chinese