diligent study; studying hard despite poor conditions
Literary term evoking the Chinese stories of studying by firefly light or snow-reflected light. Used to praise perseverance in learning. Rare in everyday conversation; mostly found in formal or literary contexts.
He passed the difficult university entrance exam through diligent study.
I continue to study every day with the spirit of diligent perseverance.
fruit of diligent study
Standard kanji form. The characters refer to the story of studying by the light of fireflies and snow.
Variant using the older form of 蛍. Less common in modern usage.
From the Chinese stories of Che Yin (車胤) who studied by the light of fireflies, and Sun Kang (孫康) who studied by the light reflected from snow. The compound 蛍雪 (firefly + snow) symbolizes diligent study under difficult conditions.