📖 Meaning
Literally meaning a thousand mountains and ten thousand rivers, this idiom describes a long and arduous journey across vast distances. It conveys the hardship and remoteness of travel through rugged terrain and across countless waterways. It is often used to express how far apart people or places are from one another.
📜 Origin Story
The phrase originates from a Tang dynasty poem titled 'To an Old Friend in Weiyang' (寄维阳故人) by the poet Zhang Qiao (张乔). In the poem, the poet bids farewell to a dear friend by a riverbank where willow branches are tied as a token of parting, and laments that a thousand mountains and ten thousand waters now separate him from his distant companion. The imagery evokes the vast, difficult distances that lie between the parted friends. Over time, the expression became a common way to describe any long, difficult journey or the great distance separating two people.
💡 Example Usage
他历经千山万水，终于回到了阔别多年的故乡。
After crossing a thousand mountains and ten thousand rivers, he finally returned to the hometown he had been away from for many years.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 千山万水
- Pinyin: qiān shān wàn shuǐ
- Literal Translation: thousand, mountains, ten thousand, waters
- Category: Distance
- Characters: 4