冰凍三尺，非一日之寒

See also: 冰冻三尺，非一日之寒

Chinese

FWOTD – 19 October 2019

		to freeze; ice	three	a Chinese foot (M); one-third of a metre; a ruler a Chinese foot (M); one-third of a metre; a ruler; a note musical note on traditional Chinese scale		(be) not; wrong; blame (be) not; wrong; blame; Africa	one day; another day in the future	's; him/her/it; this	cold; poor; to tremble
trad. (冰凍三尺，非一日之寒)		冰凍	三	尺	，	非	一日	之	寒
simp. (冰冻三尺，非一日之寒)		冰冻	三	尺	，	非	一日	之	寒
Literally: “three feet of ice is not the result of one cold day”.

Etymology

A similar expression is found in Lunheng by Wang Chong:

故夫河冰結合，非一日之寒，積土成山，非斯須之作。 [Classical Chinese, trad.]

---

故夫河冰结合，非一日之寒，积土成山，非斯须之作。 [Classical Chinese, simp.]

From: Wang Chong, Lun Heng (Discussive Weighing), 80 CE

Gù fú hé bīng jiéhé, fēi yīrì zhī hán, jī tǔ chéng shān, fēi sīxū zhī zuò. [Pinyin]

Therefore, ice forming in river is not [caused by] one day's coldness; earth gathering to form mountains is not [caused by] one moment's efforts.

Pronunciation

• Mandarin

  (Pinyin): bīngdòng sān chǐ, fēi yīrì zhī hán

  (Zhuyin): ㄅㄧㄥ ㄉㄨㄥˋ ㄙㄢ ㄔˇ , ㄈㄟ ㄧ ㄖˋ ㄓ ㄏㄢˊ

• Cantonese (Jyutping): bing¹ dung³ saam¹ cek³, fei¹ jat¹ jat⁶ zi¹ hon⁴

---

• Mandarin
  • (Standard Chinese)⁺
    • Hanyu Pinyin: bīngdòng sān chǐ, fēi yīrì zhī hán [Phonetic: bīngdòng sān chǐ, fēi yírì zhī hán]
    • Zhuyin: ㄅㄧㄥ ㄉㄨㄥˋ ㄙㄢ ㄔˇ , ㄈㄟ ㄧ ㄖˋ ㄓ ㄏㄢˊ
    • Tongyong Pinyin: bingdòng san chǐh, fei yirìh jhih hán
    • Wade–Giles: ping¹-tung⁴ san¹ chʻih³, fei¹ i¹-jih⁴ chih¹ han²
    • Yale: bīng-dùng sān chř-, fēi yī-r̀ jr̄ hán
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: bingdonq san chyy, fei iryh jy harn
    • Palladius: биндун сань чи, фэй ижи чжи хань (bindun sanʹ či, fɛj iži čži xanʹ)
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /piŋ⁵⁵ tʊŋ⁵¹ sän⁵⁵ ʈ͡ʂʰʐ̩²¹⁴⁻²¹ feɪ̯⁵⁵ i⁵⁵⁻³⁵ ʐ̩⁵¹ ʈ͡ʂʐ̩⁵⁵ xän³⁵/
• Cantonese
  • (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong–Macau)⁺
    • Jyutping: bing¹ dung³ saam¹ cek³, fei¹ jat¹ jat⁶ zi¹ hon⁴
    • Yale: bīng dung sāam chek, fēi yāt yaht jī hòhn
    • Cantonese Pinyin: bing¹ dung³ saam¹ tsek⁸, fei¹ jat⁷ jat⁹ dzi¹ hon⁴
    • Guangdong Romanization: bing¹ dung³ sam¹ cég³, féi¹ yed¹ yed⁶ ji¹ hon⁴
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /pɪŋ⁵⁵ tʊŋ³³ saːm⁵⁵ t͡sʰɛːk̚³ fei̯⁵⁵ jɐt̚⁵ jɐt̚² t͡siː⁵⁵ hɔːn²¹/

Proverb

冰凍三尺，非一日之寒

1. Rome wasn't built in a day.

Synonyms

• 冰封三尺，非一日之寒