冰冻三尺，非一日之寒
bīng​dòng​sān​chǐ​fēi​yī​rì​zhī​hán

Rome was not built in a day

  1. 冰冻 冰凍 bīng​dòng adjectiveverb
    to freeze
    to freeze over or congeal into ice (of water, ground, etc.)
  2. 三 sān numeral
    three
    the number three; 3
  3. 尺 chǐ noun
    chi
    a Chinese unit of length equal to one-third of a meter; a Chinese foot
  4. ， fēi
    non-Chinese
  5. 非 fēi verb
    not be
    to not be; to not belong to; equivalent to 是 shì in its negative form
  6. 一日 yī​rì noun
    one day (duration)
    a full day and night; twenty-four hours
  7. 之 zhī particle
    [possessive]
    Connects a describing word or phrase to the noun it describes, similar to 的 de but used in formal or literary writing.
  8. 寒 hán noun
    cold
    (bound form) cold; chilly