Success comes only through hard work.

This term comes from "Xi Ming" ("Study Motto"), an essay by Zhang Zai (1020-1077), a neo-Confucian philosopher of the Song Dynasty. It means that harsh external conditions such as poverty, humble origins, misfortune and disasters can temper one's will like grinding a piece of uncut jade until it becomes a marvelous artwork. It indicates the strong courage and conviction that allow one to brave any difficulty and achieve great success. This perseverance is part of the character of the Chinese nation.

Xi Jinping has quoted this saying on more than one occasion. Addressing the BRICS Business Forum in July 2018, he said: Success only comes through hard work. During the past 40 years, China has made its way of reform and opening up with strenuous efforts, and blazed a path of building socialism with distinctive Chinese features.

艱難困苦，玉汝于成

“艱難困苦，玉汝于成” ，出自《西銘》，意為貧窮、低賤、憂傷、災難等各種艱辛困苦的外部條件，往往可以像打磨玉石一樣砥礪人的意志，使之終有所成。這種不畏艱險、自我磨礪、以苦為階，最終實現奮斗目標的意志和信念，成為融入中國人血脈之中的民族品格。

中共十八大以來，習近平多次在不同場合引用“艱難困苦，玉汝于成”。2018年7月，習近平在金磚國家工商論壇上發表講話時就引用了這句古語，闡發改革開放40年來，中國走過了不平凡的歷程，成功開辟了中國特色社會主義道路。