16 - 千里之行... - A journey of a thousand miles...

This is the first time I publish a proverb !

In Chinese, proverbs are really important to know as they can transmit a very specific feeling in just a few characters.  

千里之行﹐始于足下

Qiānlǐ zhī xíng, shǐ yú zú xià

A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.

 

Components:

千里
Qiānlǐ 
· a thousand miles
· a thousand li (i.e. 500 kilometers)
· a long distance

之
zhī
· (possessive particle, literary equivalent of  的[de5])
· him
· her
· it

行﹐
xíng,
· to walk
· to go
· to travel
· a visit
· current
· in circulation
· capable
· OK!

始 
shǐ 
· to begin
· to start
· then
· only then

于 
yú  
· in
· at
· to
· from
· by
· than
· out of

足下
zú xià
· below the foot






成语
chéng yǔ
· Chinese set expression, often made up of 4 characters or two couplets of 4 characters each, often alluding to a story or historical quotation
· idiom
· proverb
· saying
· adage
· set expression
· CL:條 | 条[tiao2], 本[ben3], 句[ju4]