恨铁不成钢

Traditional: 恨鐵不成鋼

hèn tiě bù chéng gāng

Dictionary entry

lit. disappointed that iron does not turn into steel (idiom)

What does 恨铁不成钢 mean?

恨铁不成钢 (hèn tiě bù chéng gāng) has the following dictionary meaning.

1lit. disappointed that iron does not turn into steel (idiom)

2fig. frustrated with sb who has failed to meet one's expectations

Character breakdown

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恨hènto hate · to regret 铁Tiěsurname Tie 不bùno; not so · (bound form) not; un-成Chéngsurname Cheng · short name for Chengdu 成都[Cheng2 du1]钢gāngsteel

Reviewed examples

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How to pronounce 恨铁不成钢

恨铁不成钢

hèn tiě bù chéng gāng

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Base dictionary data: CC-CEDICT · CC BY-SA 4.0.