諺語 · a single proverb
不積跬步，無以至千里
What does 不積跬步，無以至千里 (bù jī kuǐ bù wú yǐ zhì qiān lǐ) mean?
不積跬步，無以至千里 (bù jī kuǐ bù wú yǐ zhì qiān lǐ) is a line of classical verse (shīcí 詩詞). Word for word it reads "without accumulating half-steps, impossible to reach a thousand li." In use it means: Without accumulating small steps, you cannot reach great distances; every great achievement is built from small ones. 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 Ox.
Literally: "without accumulating half-steps, impossible to reach a thousand li."
The reading
The half-step is not half a real step; it is a real step that simply did not complete itself. And yet even the half-step, taken a thousand times, builds a distance that the person who waits for the full and ready stride never covers. The small and incomplete movement, faithfully repeated, is the actual engine of all long distance. Do not wait for the whole step.
What kind of proverb it is
Source Xun Zi 荀子·勸學 (Quàn Xué, Encouraging Learning)
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 Ox, Year of the Rat, and Year of the Tiger.
Questions
Is 不積跬步，無以至千里 a real Chinese proverb?
Yes. 不積跬步，無以至千里 (bù jī kuǐ bù wú yǐ zhì qiān lǐ) is a line of classical verse (shīcí 詩詞), and it comes from Xun Zi 荀子·勸學 (Quàn Xué, Encouraging Learning). 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 不積跬步，無以至千里?
In Mandarin it is bù jī kuǐ bù wú yǐ zhì qiān lǐ. Read the pinyin above each character to follow the tones, or press the speaker beside the calligraphy to hear your browser read 不積跬步，無以至千里 aloud in Mandarin.