諺語 · a single proverb
千里之行，始於足下
Simplified: 千里之行，始于足下
What does 千里之行，始於足下 (qiān lǐ zhī xíng shǐ yú zú xià) mean?
千里之行，始於足下 (qiān lǐ zhī xíng shǐ yú zú xià) is a four-character classical idiom (chéngyǔ 成語). Word for word it reads "a thousand-li road begins beneath the feet." In use it means: Every great undertaking starts with a single step. You reach for it when you want that idea in one breath, and the Earth note it carries is why we hand it to those born in the Year of the Snake.
Literally: "a thousand-li road begins beneath the feet."
The reading
The far place frightens only from a distance. Stand at your own threshold, take the single step in front of you, and the thousand miles begin to belong to you.
The story
This is from chapter 64 of the Tao Te Ching: a tree wider than a man's embrace grew from a sprout, a nine-story tower rose from a heap of earth, and a thousand-li road begins beneath one's feet. Laozi sets it against the impatience that wants the whole distance at once.
Stop staring at the far end of the thing, where it only ever looks impossible. Take the single step that is actually in front of you today, and let the thousand miles start belonging to you one footfall at a time.
What kind of proverb it is
Source Tao Te Ching 道德經, ch. 64 (Laozi)
Sits beside
一年之計在於春，一日之計在於晨
yī nián zhī jì zài yú chūn, yī rì zhī jì zài yú chén
Begin at the beginning-the whole shape of a year or a day is set by what you do at its first hour.
冰非一日之寒
bīng fēi yī rì zhī hán
Nothing reaches its current state overnight.
少壯不努力，老大徒傷悲
shào zhuàng bù nǔ lì lǎo dà tú shāng bēi
Those who do not work hard in youth can only grieve in old age.
Keep reading
Return to the Proverb Pond to draw another of the eighty-seven, or hear one read aloud. Read the rest of its chapter in Perseverance & the Long Road, or follow the years these lines belong to: Year of the Snake, Year of the Rabbit, and Year of the Rat.
Questions
Is 千里之行，始於足下 a real Chinese proverb?
Yes. 千里之行，始於足下 (qiān lǐ zhī xíng shǐ yú zú xià) is a four-character classical idiom (chéngyǔ 成語), and it comes from Tao Te Ching 道德經, ch. 64 (Laozi). It is living Chinese heritage, given here with per-character pinyin and its source so you can trust the line, not a phrase invented in English.
How do you pronounce 千里之行，始於足下?
In Mandarin it is qiān lǐ zhī xíng shǐ yú zú xià. Read the pinyin above each character to follow the tones, or press the speaker beside the calligraphy to hear your browser read 千里之行，始於足下 aloud in Mandarin.