车到山前必有路

車到山前必有路

chēdàoshānqiánbìyǒulù

idiom #36,932

Meanings

1 when the cart reaches the mountain there will be a way through (proverb)
2 things will work themselves out
3 we'll cross that bridge when we come to it

Characters

must; certainly

Examples

别担心，车到山前必有路。

Bié dānxīn, chē dào shān qián bì yǒu lù.

Don't worry — when we get to the mountain, there'll be a way through.

他常说车到山前必有路，遇事从不慌张。

Tā cháng shuō chē dào shān qián bì yǒu lù, yùshì cóng bù huāngzhāng.

He often says 'when the cart reaches the mountain there will be a road' — he never panics in a crisis.

Tips

usage

Often paired with its second half 船到桥头自然直 (chuán dào qiáotóu zìrán zhí, 'when the boat reaches the bridge it will naturally straighten out'). Use to comfort someone over-planning, not to dismiss real problems — it expresses cultivated optimism, not laziness.

Stroke Order

车 chē

到 dào

山 shān

前 qián

必 bì

有 yǒu

路 lù