积少成多

積少成多
jīshǎo-chéngduō
idiom

Meanings

  1. 1 many small amounts add up to a lot
  2. 2 every little bit helps
  3. 3 small drops fill an ocean

Examples

Měitiān cún shí kuài qián, jīshǎochéngduō, yì nián yě shì bùshǎo.
Save ten yuan a day — it adds up; over a year it's a real sum.
Xuéxí dāncí yào jīshǎochéngduō, bùnéng jíyúqiúchéng.
Learning vocabulary is about adding up small bits — you can't rush results.
Gōngyì juānkuǎn jīshǎochéngduō, zuìzhōng bāngzhù le hěnduō rén.
Charity donations add up little by little, and in the end they help many people.

Tips

history
Roots in 《战国·》 ('thin layered into thick, few gathered into many') and 《·》 ('few collected become many, small accumulated becomes vast'). The four-character form crystallized from these classical lines.
usage
Practical and motivational — common in advice about saving money, learning, exercise, fundraising. Often paired with verbs like 坚持 (jiānchí, to persist).

Stroke Order

shǎo
chéng
duō