A sieve can only detect what it was designed to measure. While exams and competitions may reveal abilities that have already surfaced, they cannot foresee a person's patience in the face of failure, their capacity to ask questions, or the courage to keep exploring when there is no standard answer.

Why do some education systems produce excellent test-takers, while others nurture people capable of changing an entire field? Through the stories of mathematicians Wang Hong and Deng Yu, this book examines three forces behind exceptional talent: the sieve that identifies potential, the soil that supports long-term growth, and the masters who guide gifted students towards original achievement.