百炼铅

百煉鉛
bǎiliànqiān
phrase

Meanings

  1. 1 (fig.) a person softened and made gentler through hardship
  2. 2 lead refined a hundred times - tempered and pliable

Examples

HSK 7-9
Jīngguò zhèxiē nián de móliàn, tā yǐ chéng bǎiliànqiān, wēnhé ér jiānrèn.
After years of trials, he has become like hundred-times-refined lead - gentle yet resilient.
HSK 7-9
Suìyuè bǎ tā liàn chéng le bǎiliànqiān, píqi bǐ niánqīng shí róushùn duō le.
The years refined him like tempered lead; his temper is much softer than when he was young.

Tips

memory
Unlike 百炼钢 (steel hardened by refining), 百炼铅 uses (lead) because refined lead becomes softer and more pliable. The metaphor: hardship made the person yield rather than harden.

Stroke Order

bǎi
liàn
qiān