About

The Chinese word "凿壁偷光" is formed by sequentially combining the characters (meaning to bore or chisel), (wall), (to steal), and (light), which together literally describe the action of boring a hole in a wall to steal light; this phrase originates from a historical anecdote where a scholar performed this act to study, and its formation directly depicts that specific sequence of events.

Word Definition - 凿壁偷光

záo bì tōu guāng lit. to pierce the wall to steal a light (idiom); fig. to study diligently in the face of hardship