<p>I know a few:</p>
<ul>
<li><p>聚沙成塔 - Gathering grains of sand can make a tower</p>
</li>
<li><p>滴水成川 - Gathering drops of water can make a river</p>
</li>
<li><p>積少成多 - small amounts add up to a huge amount</p>
</li>
<li><p>山大斬埋有柴 (Cantonese) - In a big mountain, you can gather firewood in small quantities and get a substantial amount of it</p>
</li>
<li><p>小數怕長計 (Cantonese) - Small sums will become a huge amount if you keep adding them up</p>
</li>
</ul>
<p>An interesting 70's H.K ad song <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hygRnB3_A8M" rel="nofollow noreferrer">小莫小於水滴，漸成大海汪洋，細莫細於砂粒，聚成大地四方</a></p>
<blockquote>
<p>There's nothing smaller than a drop of water, they gradually added up to become a vast ocean; there's nothing tinier than a grain of sand, they gathered and became all the land in all directions</p>
</blockquote>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2024-02-04T20:57:45.477Z
2024-02-04T21:37:24.230Z
2024-02-04T21:37:24.230Z
Tang Ho
<p>My favourite one is from 道德经：</p>
<p>合抱之木生于毫末；九层之台起于累土；千里之行始于足下</p>
<p>You can check this <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_journey_of_a_thousand_miles_begins_with_a_single_step" rel="nofollow noreferrer">wikipedia</a> page. It has both Chinese and English version</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2024-02-05T15:32:32.480Z
2024-02-05T15:32:32.480Z
Archeosudoerus
<p>I recommend 多年媳妇熬成婆(a young wife will grow up into her mother-in-law over time).</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2024-02-08T20:58:50.633Z
The voice of experience?
河南宝宝
CC BY-SA 4.0
2024-02-08T14:06:51.663Z
2024-02-08T14:06:51.663Z
NanningYouth
<p>I'm interested in learning idioms that are related to small parts or actions eventually adding up to something bigger, or like idioms related to emergent property, kind of like 集腋成裘 (jíyè-chéngqiú).</p>
<p>Thanks for the help!</p>

<idioms>
Interested in idioms similar to the theme of 集腋成裘
# Interested in idioms similar to the theme of 集腋成裘

(Asked by: username_0 on 2024-02-04)

I'm interested in learning idioms that are related to small parts or actions eventually adding up to something bigger, or like idioms related to emergent property, kind of like 集腋成裘 (jíyè-chéngqiú).

Thanks for the help!

**Tags:** idioms


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## 3 answers

### Answer by username_1 on 2024-02-04. Score: 1

I know a few:

* 聚沙成塔 - Gathering grains of sand can make a tower
* 滴水成川 - Gathering drops of water can make a river
* 積少成多 - small amounts add up to a huge amount
* 山大斬埋有柴 (Cantonese) - In a big mountain, you can gather firewood in small quantities and get a substantial amount of it
* 小數怕長計 (Cantonese) - Small sums will become a huge amount if you keep adding them up

An interesting 70's H.K ad song [小莫小於水滴，漸成大海汪洋，細莫細於砂粒，聚成大地四方](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hygRnB3_A8M)

> There's nothing smaller than a drop of water, they gradually added up to become a vast ocean; there's nothing tinier than a grain of sand, they gathered and became all the land in all directions


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### Answer by username_2 on 2024-02-05. Score: 0

My favourite one is from 道德经：

合抱之木生于毫末；九层之台起于累土；千里之行始于足下

You can check this [wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_journey_of_a_thousand_miles_begins_with_a_single_step) page. It has both Chinese and English version


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### Answer by username_3 on 2024-02-08. Score: -1

I recommend 多年媳妇熬成婆(a young wife will grow up into her mother-in-law over time).

> **Comments:**
> **username_4**: The voice of experience?  

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