Stubborn rocks nod their heads
To be very persuasive
Neutral
他这番高论，真可使顽石点头 | Tā zhè fān gāo lùn, zhēn kě shǐ wán shí diǎntóu
His remarks were extremely persuasive
[Source]
她说起话来不仅有条有理，而且颇有说服力，真是能让顽石点头 | Tā shuō qǐ huà lái bu jǐn yǒu tiáo yǒulǐ, érqiě pǒ yǒu shuōfú lì, zhēnshi néng ràng wán shí diǎntóu
When she spoke, she not only spoke deliberately and logically, but she also was extremely persuasive. She really could make even rocks nod their heads
[Source]
None
None
This story should technically go into more detail regarding 道生's interpretations of Buddhist texts. I do not have a firm understanding of Buddhism in English, let alone Chinese, so I have translated only the minimum amount of information necessary to understand the story here.
《莲社高贤传》(Lián Shè Gāo Xián Zhuàn), a work by an anonymous author from the Jìn Dynasty (晋, 265 - 420)
During the Jìn Dynasty (晋, 265 - 420) there lived a Buddhist monk named 道生 (Dào Shēng) who interpreted Buddhist scripture as stating that everything on earth could not only reach enlightenment, but was also intelligent and could communicate. Unfortunately, many of his peers disagreed with this interpretation, and he was driven out.
After the explusion, 道生 traveled to the temple on the mountain Hǔ Qiū Shān (虎丘山). There, he collected many large rocks, moved them into the temple, and arranged them into rows so that they could serve as his audience. From then on, each and every single day he practiced reading the scripture and explaining his interpretation to them.
After many days passed, the rocks started to show some sign of life. Then finally, one day 道生 asked the rocks whether they thought his argument had any merit. Unexpectedly, the rocks all nodded.