Chinese

{| style="clear: right;margin: 1em;border-collapse: collapse;text-align: center"

|- ! !ice !to freeze !three; 3

!

! !non-; not-; un-

!

!

!'s; him/her/it; this !cold; poor; to tremble |- !trad. (冰凍三尺，非一日之寒) | 冰 | 凍 | 三 | 尺 | ， | 非 | 一 | 日 | 之 | 寒 |- !simp. (冰冻三尺，非一日之寒) | 冰 | 冻 | 三 | 尺 | ， | 非 | 一 | 日 | 之 | 寒 |}

Proverb

冰凍三尺，非一日之寒

1. Rome wasn't built in a day.
2. One can not become an expert in a difficult subject overnight.
   • 2004: Feng Wuyu (风无语), games.sina.com.cn (description of a video game called "Celestial Companion Fantasy")

     天阿，如此美景，確是一令人望而卻步的是非之地。乖乖的回到出生地，打開地圖，尋找練功場所。涉足江湖，沒有點一技之長，死於非命怨得了誰呢？拼命地打怪，升級，可是，好漫長埃哎，冰凍三尺非一日之寒。十年磨劍只為一朝成名。

     Wow, such beautiful scenery; in fact, it was a land of bandits and thieves that could cause a man to shrink back at the sight. Obediently, I returned to the place of my birth, opened a map, and looked for a place where I could learn how to fight. But once you set foot in the world of itinerant bandit warriors, if you have no kung fu fighting proficiency to begin with, who else can you blame but yourself if you get killed? I went to great lengths at the risk of life and limb, rising through the ranks; but, it seemed like it was taking forever. Alas, one cannot become an expert overnight. I cultivated my skills with the sword for ten years, all to make a name for myself someday.