积少成多

Pronunciation: jī shǎo chéng duō Literal meaning: Accumulate few, become many

Origin & Usage

Accumulate (积) the few (少) and it becomes (成) many (多). Dong Zhongshu argues the principle in a memorial recorded in the Book of Han, though in different characters — 众少成多，积小致钜, many small things make much, and accumulating the little reaches the enormous. Chinese pairs the modern form freely with related images: 聚沙成塔, sand into a pagoda, and 集腋成裘, armpit-fur into a fur coat, both of which are in this collection. What distinguishes this one is its plainness — no metaphor at all, just the arithmetic. It is the phrase used about savings, vocabulary and daily practice.

Examples

English: "Twenty minutes a day for a year is more practice than most people ever get"

Chinese: 每天二十分钟，一年下来比大多数人一辈子练的都多