千里迢迢

Pronunciation: qiān lǐ tiáo tiáo Literal meaning: A thousand miles distant

Origin & Usage

A thousand (千) li (里), with 迢迢 for the distance — a character meaning far which, doubled, means far in a way that is felt. The reduplication is the whole difference: 千里 alone states a measurement, and 千里迢迢 says somebody crossed it. That is why the phrase almost always travels with a person rather than a place. A visitor who came a long way earns it, and the point being made is about the effort rather than the geography.

Examples

English: "She traveled from far away to attend her friend's wedding."

Chinese: 她千里迢迢赶来参加朋友的婚礼。