千里

qiānlǐ

noun #98,614

Meanings

1 a thousand li; a very long way
2 a vast expanse

Characters

li, a unit of distance (half a kilometer)

Examples

HSK 4

他从千里之外来看我。

Tā cóng qiānlǐ zhīwài lái kàn wǒ.

He came from a thousand li away to see me.

HSK 7-9

他们相隔千里，只能在网上聊天。

Tāmen xiānggé qiānlǐ, zhǐnéng zài wǎngshàng liáotiān.

They live a thousand li apart and can only chat online.

Tips

usage

A 里 is the traditional Chinese mile, now fixed at half a kilometer, so 千里 is about 500 km, but it usually just means 'very far'.

culture

Many sayings rest on it: 千里之行，始于足下 'a journey of a thousand li begins with a single step', 有缘千里来相见 'people fated to meet will meet across a thousand li', and 千里之堤，溃于蚁穴 'a thousand-li dyke gives way through an ant hole', small flaws bring down great things.

Stroke Order

千 qiān

里 lǐ