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长途跋涉

*The explanations on this page are generated by AI. Please note that they may contain inaccurate information.

1. Basic Information

  • Pinyin: cháng tú bá shè
  • English Translation: A long and arduous journey (trekking over a long distance)
  • Idiom Composition: 「长」(Long (referring to distance))+「途」(Path, road, or the journey itself)+「跋」(To trek across mountains or walk through thick grass)+「涉」(To wade through water or cross a river)
  • Meaning: To travel a long distance while enduring hardships, such as climbing mountains and wading through water. It emphasizes the physical exhaustion and the difficulty of the journey rather than just the distance covered.

2. Detailed Meaning and Nuances

「长途跋涉」 contains the following nuances:

  • Difficult Terrain: The characters 跋 (bá) and 涉 (shè) originally referred to traveling through pathless wilds. In modern usage, even if the travel is via paved roads or airplanes, the idiom is applicable if the trip is time-consuming and physically draining.
  • Sense of Purpose: Unlike a casual sightseeing trip, this idiom often implies a journey taken with a specific purpose, such as a mission, seeking refuge, returning home, or an exploration.

3. Usage

「长途跋涉」 is mainly used in the following contexts:

  • Welcoming a guest: Used as a polite greeting to acknowledge and appreciate the effort someone made to travel from a far distance.
    • Example:「辛苦你了,长途跋涉来到这里,先休息一下吧。」
      (It's been hard on you. You've traveled a long and arduous way to get here; please take a rest first.)
  • Animal migration or expeditions: Used to describe the physically grueling nature of long-distance movement in nature or exploration.
    • Example:「候鸟每年都要长途跋涉,飞往南方过冬。」
      (Every year, migratory birds must trek over long distances to fly south for the winter.)
  • Metaphorical journeys: Can be used figuratively to describe a long, difficult process or a mental/creative struggle toward a goal.
    • Example:「为了完成这部作品,作者在精神上经历了一番长途跋涉。」
      (To complete this work, the author went through a long and difficult mental journey.)

Additional Examples:

  1. 经过几天的长途跋涉,救援队终于到达了灾区。
    (After several days of arduous travel, the rescue team finally reached the disaster area.)
  2. 他不怕长途跋涉,只为了见老朋友一面。
    (He doesn't mind trekking a long distance just to see his old friend.)
  3. 这支商队长途跋涉穿越了整个沙漠。
    (The caravan made a long and difficult journey across the entire desert.)
  4. 虽然长途跋涉很累,但看到美丽的风景,一切都值得了。
    (Although the long journey was exhausting, seeing the beautiful scenery made it all worth it.)
  5. 这种鱼需要长途跋涉回到出生地产卵。
    (This fish needs to travel a long distance back to its birthplace to spawn.)

4. Cultural Background and Notes

  • Source: This phrase appears in the Qing Dynasty novel General Yue Fei (说岳全传 - Shuō Yuè Quán Zhuàn). In one scene, Yue Fei's wife expresses concern about letting someone endure the 'hardship of a long journey,' showing it was used to acknowledge the toil of others.
  • Modern Context: In modern China, this term is frequently associated with the Spring Festival (春节 - Chūnjié) travel rush, known as Chunyun (春运). For many, the journey back to their hometown involves dozens of hours of travel, embodying the spirit of 长途跋涉 (cháng tú bá shè).
  • Etymology: The character 跋 (bá) means to trample through grass or climb, while 涉 (shè) means to cross water. Together, they represent the obstacles one faces on a roadless journey.

5. Similar and Opposite Idioms

6. Summary

The idiom 长途跋涉 (cháng tú bá shè) is used to describe a journey that is both long and physically demanding. While it literally depicts climbing mountains and crossing rivers, in modern contexts, it can refer to any exhausting trip, such as a long flight or a difficult commute. It is often used to express appreciation for a guest who has traveled far or to describe the grueling nature of an expedition or animal migration.

Featured in the Chuken exam (Japan's Chinese test)Pre-Level 1

Idiom Essay

cháng tú bá shè
长途跋涉
A Long and Arduous Journey
xiǎng xiàng想象yī xià一下,nǐ你yào要qù去yí gè一个hěn很yuǎn远de的dì fāng地方。

Imagine that you are going to a very distant place.

zhè这yī cì一次,bú shì不是shū shū fú fú舒舒服服dì地zuò坐zài在fēi jī飞机shàng上shuì睡yī jiào一觉jiù就dào到le了。

This time, it is not a comfortable flight where you arrive after a nap.

ér shì而是xū yào需要nǐ你zhēn shí真实dì地qù去gǎn lù赶路。

Instead, you need to actually travel the distance on the ground.

kě néng可能huì会yù dào遇到gāo shān高山,xū yào需要yòng lì用力pān dēng攀登;kě néng可能huì会yù dào遇到hé liú河流,xū yào需要xiǎo xīn小心tōng guò通过。

You might encounter high mountains that require a strenuous climb, or rivers that need careful crossing.

nǐ你huì会jué de觉得lèi累,xié zi鞋子shàng上huì会zhān mǎn沾满ní tǔ泥土,shēn tǐ身体huì会gǎn dào感到shēn shēn深深de的pí bèi疲惫。

You will feel tired, your shoes will be covered in mud, and your body will feel deeply exhausted.

zhōng wén中文lǐ里,yǒu有yí gè一个chéng yǔ成语zhuān mén专门xíng róng形容zhè zhǒng这种jiān nán艰难de的lǚ chéng旅程,jiào叫“cháng tú bá shè长途跋涉”。

In Chinese, there is an idiom specifically used to describe this kind of difficult journey called 长途跋涉.

zhè ge这个cí词de的huà miàn画面gǎn感hěn很qiáng强。

This phrase creates a very strong visual image.

“cháng tú长途”,zhǐ指de的shì是yáo yuǎn遥远de的jù lí距离;ér而“bá shè跋涉”zhè这liǎng两gè个zì字,chāi kāi拆开lái来kàn看:“bá跋”shì是zài在cǎo cóng草丛hé和shān lǐng山岭zhōng中xíng zǒu行走,“shè涉”shì是tàng趟shuǐ水guò过hé河。

长途 refers to a long distance, while the two characters in 跋涉 can be broken down: 跋 means walking through thickets and over ridges, and 涉 means wading through water.

hé合qǐ lái起来,tā它miáo shù描述de的jiù就bù不zhǐ shì只是“yuǎn远”,ér shì而是yī zhǒng一种“jiān nán艰难”。

Combined, it describes not just distance, but a sense of hardship.

tā它yì wèi zhe意味着,zhè这yī lù一路,bìng并bù不píng tǎn平坦。

It implies that the road ahead is not smooth.

wǒ men我们zài在shēng huó生活zhōng中,shén me shí hòu什么时候huì会yòng用dào到“cháng tú bá shè长途跋涉”ne呢?

When do we use 长途跋涉 in our lives?

tōng cháng通常shì是wèi le为了yí gè一个fēi cháng非常zhòng yào重要de的mù dì目的。

Usually, it is for a very important purpose.

méi yǒu没有rén人huì会wèi le为了mǎi买yī píng一瓶shuǐ水ér而cháng tú bá shè长途跋涉。

No one would 长途跋涉 just to buy a bottle of water.

dàn shì但是,wèi le为了huí jiā回家guò nián过年,wèi le为了jiàn见yí gè一个xǔ jiǔ许久wèi jiàn未见de的rén人,huò zhě或者wèi le为了qù去kàn kàn看看xīn zhōng心中xiàng wǎng向往de的fēng jǐng风景,wǒ men我们yuàn yì愿意rěn shòu忍受zhè zhǒng这种xīn kǔ辛苦。

However, to go home for the New Year, to see someone we haven't seen in a long time, or to see a landscape we yearn for, we are willing to endure such hardship.

gèng更yǒu yì si有意思de的shì是,xiàn zài现在rén men人们yě也cháng常bǎ把zhè ge这个cí词,yòng用zài在kàn bú jiàn看不见de的lǚ chéng旅程shàng上。

More interestingly, people now often use this term for invisible journeys as well.

bǐ rú比如,nǐ你wèi le为了yí gè一个mèng xiǎng梦想nǔ lì努力le了hěn很duō nián多年,zhōng jiān中间jīng lì经历le了hěn很duō多shī bài失败、mí máng迷茫hé和zì wǒ自我huái yí怀疑。

For example, if you have worked hard for a dream for many years, experiencing many failures, confusion, and self-doubt along the way.

dāng当zuì hòu最后zhōng yú终于shí xiàn实现de的shí hòu时候,nǐ你huí gù回顾guò qù过去,huì会fā xiàn发现zhè这yě也shì是yī zhǒng一种xīn lù心路lì chéng历程shàng上de的“cháng tú bá shè长途跋涉”。

When you finally achieve it, looking back, you will find that this is also a kind of 长途跋涉 of the heart.

zhè ge这个chéng yǔ成语qí shí其实zài在gào sù告诉wǒ men我们yī jiàn一件shì事:zhēn zhèng真正de的dǐ dá抵达,wǎng wǎng往往dōu都bù不róng yì容易。

This idiom is actually telling us one thing: true arrival is often not easy.

zhèng shì正是yīn wèi因为lù tú yáo yuǎn路途遥远qiě且jiān nán艰难,nà ge那个zhōng diǎn终点,cái才xiǎn de显得gé wài格外zhēn guì珍贵。

It is precisely because the journey is long and difficult that the destination becomes exceptionally precious.

xià cì下次,dāng当nǐ你zhōng yú终于wán chéng完成le了mǒu jiàn某件màn cháng漫长ér而xīn kǔ辛苦de的shì qíng事情,xiǎng yào想要tíng xià lái停下来sōng yì kǒu qì松一口气de的shí hòu时候,nǐ你kě yǐ可以duì对zì jǐ自己qīng shēng轻声shuō说yī jù一句:zhè这yī lù一路cháng tú bá shè长途跋涉,xīn kǔ辛苦le了。

Next time, when you finally complete something long and hard and want to stop and take a breath, you can whisper to yourself: This 长途跋涉 has been hard work.

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