磨炼

磨煉

móliàn

verb HSK 7-9 #37,360

Meanings

1 to temper (oneself)
2 to steel through hardship
3 to hone

Characters

to grind / polish

to refine / smelt

Examples

HSK 5

年轻人需要在实践中磨炼自己。

Niánqīngrén xūyào zài shíjiàn zhōng móliàn zìjǐ.

Young people need to temper themselves through practice.

HSK 7-9

艰苦的环境磨炼了他的意志。

Jiānkǔ de huánjìng móliàn le tā de yìzhì.

The harsh environment tempered his willpower.

Tips

usage

Used almost exclusively for character/willpower/skill, not physical objects. The metaphor is metallurgical - 磨 (to grind) + 炼 (to refine/smelt) - like forging steel. Variant 磨练 is treated as equivalent in modern Chinese.

Stroke Order

磨 mó

炼 liàn