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A small step can lead to a long journey, a small hole can collapse a dam
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A thousand miles can be used to describe something very long or very distant, be it a dam or a journey.
There are more than a dozen Chinese idioms using the phrase “a thousand miles” in a figurative way. Here are two common ones that seem to express a similar idea.
The first one is qianli zhidi kuiyu yixue, or “an ant’s hole may cause the collapse of a thousand-mile-long dam.”
This saying comes from “Han Feizi,” or “Writings of Master Han Fei,” one of the most important philosophical classics in ancient China. It sounds quite similar to a famous quotation by American statesman and inventor Benjamin Franklin, who warned about frittering money away by saying: “Beware of little expenses — a small leak will sink a great ship.”
The other Chinese idiom involving “a thousand miles” is a well-known quotation from Lao Tzu, a top ancient Chinese philosopher, author of “Daodejing,” or the “Tao Te Ching,” and founder of Taoism, who lived during the later years of the Spring and Autumn Period (770-476 BC).
The philosopher once said qianli zhixing shiyu zuxia, or “a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.”
It’s true that if one doesn’t take that first step, a journey will forever remain a dream. This may also apply to the journey of life, an ambition or an understanding.
Both Chinese idioms here seem to emphasize that something may seem like a small amount, but it adds up over time. In English, there are several expressions that echo this same point: “Take care of the pennies and the pounds will take care of themselves,” and “little and often fills the purse.”
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