Literal meaning
drop (滴) — water (水) — pierce (穿) — stone (石)
Origin
A Song-dynasty story about magistrate Zhang Guaiya (张乖崖), who flogged a low-level clerk caught stealing one copper coin. The clerk protested the disproportionate punishment. Zhang's verdict — 一日一钱，千日千钱；绳锯木断，水滴石穿 ("one coin a day is a thousand coins in a thousand days; a rope can saw through wood, a drop of water can pierce stone") — captured the principle that small repeated actions are cumulative. The four-character form 滴水穿石 became standard shorthand for the same idea.
Examples
Usage & nuances
Highly approachable register — works in casual speech, motivational posters, parenting advice, and study guides equally well. The image is vivid enough that no one needs the origin story to understand it.
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