📖 Meaning
To climb mountains and wade across rivers. It is a metaphor for enduring the hardships and difficulties of a long, arduous journey. It conveys perseverance and physical exertion in travel.
📜 Origin Story
The idiom originates from the Ming dynasty novel 'Water Margin' (水浒传) by Shi Nai'an. In the 22nd chapter, Song Jiang and his brother set out on the road to Cangzhou, inevitably climbing mountains and wading through waters along the way. The phrase vividly captures the physical toll of travel in ancient China. A later usage appears in Wu Cheng'en's 'Journey to the West' (西游记), where a monk reflects on how his arduous travels caused him to lose touch with old friends.
💡 Example Usage
为了寻找失散多年的亲人，他登山涉水走遍了大半个中国。
In search of his long-lost relatives, he climbed mountains and waded through rivers across more than half of China.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 登山涉水
- Pinyin: dēng shān shè shuǐ
- Literal Translation: climb mountains, wade through waters
- Category: Perseverance
- Characters: 4