【韋編三絕】

 

The *Records of the Grand Historian*,

 

 "The Hereditary House of Confucius," records that Confucius,

in his later years,

 

became very interested in the ancient book *I Ching*,

 

a profound and difficult text.

 

He studied it repeatedly until he understood it.

 

The *Records of the Grand Historian* uses the phrase "the leather thongs broke three times" to describe Confucius's diligence.

 

"Leather thongs" refers to tanned cowhide.

In ancient times, before the invention of paper, characters were written on bamboo slips and bound together with leather thongs. "Broken" means broken. Confucius, while studying the

*I Ching*, constantly turned the pages, causing the leather thongs binding the bamboo slips to break several times.

Later, "the leather thongs broke three times"

became a metaphor for diligent and painstaking study.

 

《史記．卷四七．孔子世家》記載孔子晚年對《易經》這本古書很有興趣，它是一本深奧難懂的書，孔子一次一次地反覆研讀，直到讀懂為止。《史記》記載這件事是，用「韋編三絕」來形容孔子的用功程度。「韋」是熟牛皮。古代還未發明紙的時候，字是寫在竹簡上的，然後用牛皮帶編起來。「絕」是斷的意思。孔子鑽研《易》時，不斷翻閱，以致於編綴竹簡的皮帶都斷了好幾次。後來「韋編三絕」就被用來比喻讀書勤奮努力。