a settled practice is hard to reform(jī xí nán gǎi)

a settled practice is hard to reform

Chinese idiom, Pinyin J ī x í n á ng ǎ I, means that old habits formed for a long time are hard to change. It comes from Ba Jin's on one's own creation - preface.

The origin of Idioms

Ba Jin's "on my own creation · preface": "it's really hard to change my habits. When I take up my pen, it's like turning on the tap and the water is flowing continuously."

Idiom usage

I don't believe that it's hard to change old habits. The key is to find a way to change them.

Chinese PinYin : jī xí nán gǎi