諺語 · a single proverb
日積月累
Simplified: 日积月累
What does 日積月累 (rì jī yuè lěi) mean?
日積月累 (rì jī yuè lěi) is a four-character classical idiom (chéngyǔ 成語). Word for word it reads "day accumulates, month piles." In use it means: Through daily and monthly accumulation, great things are built; small consistent efforts compound over time. 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 Rat.
Literally: "day accumulates, month piles."
The reading
Nothing looks like much on the day it is done. It is only when you turn around after a year that you see the distance covered. The work does not announce itself-it simply appears one morning as a life you built without noticing.
What kind of proverb it is
Source Common Chinese idiom; widely used since Tang dynasty
Sits beside
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 Rat, Year of the Ox, and Year of the Tiger.
Questions
Is 日積月累 a real Chinese proverb?
Yes. 日積月累 (rì jī yuè lěi) is a four-character classical idiom (chéngyǔ 成語), and it comes from Common Chinese idiom; widely used since Tang dynasty. 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 日積月累?
In Mandarin it is rì jī yuè lěi. Read the pinyin above each character to follow the tones, or press the speaker beside the calligraphy to hear your browser read 日積月累 aloud in Mandarin.