📖 Meaning
To travel day and night without stopping. It describes hurrying to a destination by journeying continuously through both daylight and darkness. Often used when someone is rushing to reach a place as quickly as possible.
📜 Origin Story
This idiom originates from the Qing dynasty novel 'Dream of the Red Chamber' (红楼梦) by Cao Xueqin, Chapter 16. In the story, Jia Lian was escorting Lin Ruhai's coffin and had completed the burial arrangements. He was originally expected to arrive home the following month, but upon hearing the joyful news that Yuanchun had been selected for the imperial harem, he hurried back to the capital by traveling day and night. The phrase '昼夜兼程而进' thus came to describe traveling without pause to reach a destination urgently.
💡 Example Usage
接到母亲病危的消息，他昼夜兼程赶回了老家。
Upon receiving the news that his mother was critically ill, he rushed back to his hometown traveling day and night.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 昼夜兼程
- Pinyin: zhòu yè jiān chéng
- Literal Translation: day and night, double the journey
- Category: Action
- Characters: 4