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淬炼
cuì liàn
💡 temper and refine
“经过岁月的淬炼，他变得更加坚强。”
“After years of tempering, he became even stronger.”
literary
To temper and refine through hardship or experience, often improving one's character or skills.
这段经历对他来说是一次灵魂的淬炼。
This experience was a soul-tempering for him.
艺术家的作品需要时间的淬炼才能成熟。
An artist's work needs the tempering of time to mature.
💡
Often used metaphorically to describe personal growth through adversity.
⚙️Engineering
technical
To harden (metal) by immersing it in water or oil after heating.
工匠将刀刃淬炼至坚硬无比。
The craftsman tempered the blade to make it extremely hard.
💡
A metallurgical process where heated metal is rapidly cooled to increase its strength.
Related Phrases
💡Pro Tip
Metaphorical vs. Literal
Remember that 淬炼 is often used metaphorically (personal growth) rather than literally (metalworking). Context determines the meaning.
⚡Gold Rule
Context Matters
Always check if the context is about personal development (metaphorical) or metalworking (literal). The metaphorical use is far more common in modern Chinese.
📖Word Origin
From 淬 (cuì, to quench/temper) + 炼 (liàn, to refine), both characters originally related to metallurgy. The metaphorical use emerged in classical Chinese literature to describe personal growth through hardship.
📝Usage Notes
Primarily used in literary or metaphorical contexts. The technical metallurgical meaning is less common in modern usage.
Word Breakdown
淬
to quench (metal)
root炼
to refine
root汉英词典