1 to torment

2 to torture

1 to rub

2 to grind

3 to polish

4 to sharpen

5 to wear down

6 to die out

7 to waste time

8 to pester

9 to insist

1 mill

1 workshop (of artisan)

1 workshop

1 a blade will get rusty if it is not sharpened; a man will fall behind if he doesn't study (idiom)

1 lit. cutting and polishing (idiom)

2 fig. to learn by exchanging ideas or experiences

1 lit. to kill the donkey when the grinding is done (idiom)

2 to get rid of sb once he has ceased to be useful

1 lit. to lead the life of a whore but still want a monument put up to one's chastity (idiom)

2 fig. to have bad intentions but still want a good reputation

3 to want to have one's cake and eat it too

1 If you work at it hard enough, you can grind an iron bar into a needle.

2 cf idiom 磨杵成針|磨杵成针, to grind an iron bar down to a fine needle (idiom); fig. to persevere in a difficult task

3 to study diligently