金石

金石学 (jīnshíxué) is a branch of traditional Chinese scholarship devoted to inscriptions on bronze vessels 青铜器 and stone steles 石碑, ancestor to modern Chinese archaeology and epigraphy. Peaked in the Song and Qing dynasties; Song scholar 欧阳修 and Qing's 阮元 are key figures.

usage

As a literary metaphor, 金石 stands for anything unyielding: 金石为开 ("even stone yields") celebrates persistence; 一诺千金 compares a promise to gold-and-stone weight.