鹏程万里

Pronunciation: péng chéng wàn lǐ Literal meaning: The roc's journey of ten thousand li

Origin & Usage

A wish for a long, soaring future. 鹏 is the peng, a giant mythical bird often translated 'roc', 程 is a journey, and 万里 is ten thousand li. The image comes from the opening of 《庄子·逍遥游》: a fish called the kun becomes the peng, whose wings are like clouds hanging from the sky, and 鹏之徙于南冥也，水击三千里，抟扶摇而上者九万里, 'when the peng moves to the southern sea, it beats the water for three thousand li and rises on the whirlwind ninety thousand li.' The four-character phrase came later; the Northern Song poet Shao Yong (邵雍) wrote 鹏程万里非由驾 in his 《伊川击壤集》. The Taiwan Ministry of Education dictionary notes it is often used as a parting wish. Say it to students, graduates and anyone setting out on a career.

Examples

English: "At the farewell party we wished our intern a future as wide open as the great bird's flight."

Chinese: 祝你毕业后鹏程万里，前途无量！