CHENGYU
千山万水(qiān shān wàn shuǐ)meaning, story and origin
- Register:
- literary
- Source:
- 唐·张乔《寄维阳故人》
MEANING
- Literal
- a thousand mountains and ten thousand rivers
- Figurative meaning
- a long and arduous journey; the ends of the earth
ORIGIN STORY
The Tang poet Zhang Qiao wrote of parting: "By the river we wove willow branches — a thousand mountains, ten thousand rivers, and my fair one far away." The phrase measures distance by its obstacles.
NATURAL EQUIVALENT
“over hill and dale”
EXAMPLES
他不远万里，走遍千山万水来找她。Tā bù yuǎn wàn lǐ, zǒu biàn qiān shān wàn shuǐ lái zhǎo tā.HSK6
He crossed a thousand mountains and ten thousand rivers to find her.
千山万水也挡不住我们的友谊。Qiān shān wàn shuǐ yě dǎng bù zhù wǒmen de yǒuyì.HSK6
Not a thousand mountains and ten thousand rivers can block our friendship.
COMMON MISTAKE
Watch out: It is distance with difficulty — not scenic beauty (that is 山清水秀).
CHARACTER BREAKDOWN
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TRUST & SOURCES
- Reviewed by
- AI-assisted editorial review
- Last reviewed
- 2026-08-15
- CC-CEDICT 2026-01-01