一日千里 — “To advance by leaps and bounds”
一日千里 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to advance by leaps and bounds”. To make rapid progress; to improve at an astonishing speed. Literally, “a thousand li in a day”.
一日千里 Pronunciation and Pinyin
- 一yī
- 日rì
- 千qiān
- 里lǐ
一日千里 Character Breakdown
Example Sentence with 一日千里
Origin and Story of 一日千里
During the Warring States period, Prince Dan of Yan was held hostage in Zhao, where he befriended Ying Zheng, who had not yet become the King of Qin.
Later, Ying Zheng returned to Qin and became its king. Prince Dan was also held hostage in Qin, but Ying Zheng did not show any old affection or special treatment; instead, he treated him coldly and made things difficult for him. Seeing this, Prince Dan found an opportunity to escape back to Yan.
After returning, Prince Dan harbored a strong desire for revenge against Ying Zheng. However, his state was small and weak, making it difficult to realize his wish. Soon after, Qin dispatched troops to attack Qi, Chu, Han, Wei, and Zhao, gradually approaching Yan. The King of Yan was terrified, and Prince Dan was deeply worried.
He sought advice from his teacher, Ju Wu, on how to resist Qin's invasion. Ju Wu said, "I have a good friend named Tian Guang. He is very resourceful and cunning. You can discuss it with him."
Tian Guang was invited, and Prince Dan treated him with great respect, saying, "I hope you can help us find a way to resist Qin's invasion." Tian Guang listened, said nothing, and then took Prince Dan's hand and walked outside. He pointed to a horse tied to a large tree and said, "This is a fine breed of horse. In its prime, it can run more than a thousand li in a day. But when it grows old, even an inferior horse can run ahead of it. Why do you think that is?" Prince Dan replied, "That's because its strength has declined."
"Exactly!" Tian Guang continued, "What you've heard about me is from my prime years. You don't know that I am old now, and my energy is failing." Tian Guang paused and then added, "Of course, while I am powerless regarding important national affairs, I would like to recommend someone to you—my good friend Jing Ke. He is capable of undertaking this great responsibility."
Later, Prince Dan befriended Jing Ke and sent him to assassinate the King of Qin, but the assassination ultimately failed.
Idioms Related to 一日千里
Synonyms of 一日千里
Antonyms of 一日千里
More idioms starting with 一
- yī一dīng丁bù不shí识completely illiterate
- yī一dīng丁diǎn点er儿a tiny bit
- yī一bù不zuò作，，èr二bù不xiū休Finish what you start
- yī一bù不zuò做，，èr二bù不xiū休in for a penny, in for a pound
- yī一bù不yā压zhòng众，，bǎi百bù不suí随yī一The minority cannot prevail against the majority
- yī一bù不niǔ扭zhòng众One person cannot defy the crowd
- yī一shì世zhī之xióng雄A hero of a generation
- yī一shì世lóng龙mén门A generation's revered influential figure
- yī一qiū丘yī一hè壑live contentedly in nature
- yī一qiū丘zhī之hé貉birds of a feather
- yī一sī丝yī一háo毫the slightest amount
- yī一sī丝bù不luàn乱perfectly orderly and neat
Questions about 一日千里
- What does 一日千里 mean?
- 一日千里 (yī rì qiān lǐ) is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to advance by leaps and bounds”.
- How do you pronounce 一日千里?
- 一日千里 is pronounced yī rì qiān lǐ in Mandarin Chinese.
- What does 一日千里 literally mean?
- Literally, 一日千里 means “a thousand li in a day”. It is used to mean “to advance by leaps and bounds”.
- Where does 一日千里 come from?
- 一日千里 comes from a classical Chinese story dating back to ancient China. The full story is on this page.
- What is the Chinese definition of 一日千里?
- 原形容马跑得很快。后比喻进展极快。