📖 Meaning
Literally meaning "accumulating days and piling up years," this idiom describes the passage of a long period of time. It conveys that something has built up gradually over many years rather than happening suddenly.
📜 Origin Story
This phrase originates from "求退录" (Record of Seeking Retirement) by the Ming dynasty scholar-official Li Dongyang. In the text, he discusses how people may suffer from overeating or irregular exertion, and that these habits accumulate over long periods—'积日累岁'—gradually wearing down one's vitality until illness takes hold. The expression thus emphasizes the slow, steady accumulation of time and its effects.
💡 Example Usage
这项工程积日累岁，至今仍未完工。
This project has dragged on for years and still remains unfinished.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 积日累岁
- Pinyin: jī rì lěi suì
- Literal Translation: accumulate, days, pile up, years
- Category: Time
- Characters: 4