📖 Meaning
This idiom describes a journey that is arduous and exhausting, involving the physical hardship of climbing over mountains and crossing through waters. It conveys the difficulty and toil of traveling across rough terrain. It is commonly used to depict long, grueling trips or expeditions.
📜 Origin Story
The phrase appears in Fan Jinbiao's essay 'In Memory of Our Beloved Premier Zhou,' which recounts experiences during the Long March. The author describes how, on the frequently embattled Long March route, over the course of more than a year, Vice Chairman Zhou Enlai climbed mountains and waded through waters alongside the soldiers, braving wind and rain just as they did. The idiom thus evokes the resilience and shared hardship of revolutionary travel.
💡 Example Usage
科考队员们爬山涉水，终于到达了人迹罕至的原始森林。
The expedition team climbed mountains and waded through waters before finally reaching the remote primeval forest.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 爬山涉水
- Pinyin: pá shān shè shuǐ
- Literal Translation: climb mountains, wade waters
- Category: Perseverance
- Characters: 4