What does it mean?
不积跬步，无以至千里 (bù jī kuǐ bù, wú yǐ zhì qiān lǐ) is commonly translated “without accumulating half-steps, one cannot reach a thousand miles.” 跬步 refers to a short step or half-step; 千里 is a great distance. The image is about small actions building into something larger.
Where it comes from
The line is from Xunzi · 荀子, in the chapter Encouraging Learning 劝学. The fuller passage continues with the image of small streams forming a river or sea.
How to use it
It is useful for study, practice, exercise and long projects. Keep the negative construction intact: it says that a great distance is not reached without small steps, rather than simply “small steps guarantee success.”
What it does not mean
It does not promise that consistent effort will always produce a particular outcome. It also does not mean every small action is automatically progress; direction and feedback still matter.
Common mistakes
- Translating 跬步 as a full mile or a major action.
- Turning the line into a guarantee of achievement.
- Using only 千里 without the logic of accumulation.