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Chinese/Dictionary entry

路遥知马力，日久见人心

lù yáo zhī mǎ lì , rì jiǔ jiàn rén xīndictionary entry
DEFINITION CC-CEDICT
just as distance determines the stamina of a horse, so does time reveal a person's true heart (proverb)
Sources & editorial notes

Reference definitions: CC-CEDICT contributors and MDBG, CC BY-SA 4.0. Source release 2026-10-27T01:55:52Z. Imported 2026-10-27. Definition wording and meaning order are retained. Recognized pronunciation references are displayed with tone marks; the original source record is available below.

Source record: cd-7695cd853db4f9f1. Source SHA-256: bbc4b27f26bee1a262f4d7939667a040c7857c7fc0200a2fa7a86d3352a09eae.

Original source entry:

路遙知馬力，日久見人心 路遥知马力，日久见人心 [lu4 yao2 zhi1 ma3 li4 , ri4 jiu3 jian4 ren2 xin1] /just as distance determines the stamina of a horse, so does time reveal a person's true heart (proverb)/

Reference definitions and teaching material have separate provenance.

Reference information

The definitions above are from CC-CEDICT. Examples and usage notes are available on selected entries.

Character information

View the individual characters. Their meanings do not necessarily explain the meaning of the whole word.

Other forms in these source records: 路遙知馬力，日久見人心

  • 路
    lù

    road (CL:條|条[tiáo]) / journey / route / line (bus etc) / sort / kind

    Lù

    surname Lu

  • 遥
    yáo

    (bound form) distant / remote / far away

  • 知
    zhī

    to know / to be aware

  • 马
    mǎ

    horse / CL:匹[pǐ] / horse or cavalry piece in Chinese chess / knight in Western chess

    Mǎ

    surname Ma / abbr. for Malaysia 馬來西亞|马来西亚[Mǎ lái xī yà]

  • 力
    lì

    power / force / strength / ability / strenuously

    Lì

    surname Li

  • 日
    rì

    (bound form) sun / day / day of the month / (bound form) Japan (abbr. for 日本[Rì běn]) / (vulgar) to fuck / to have sex with

  • 久
    jiǔ

    (of a period of time) long

  • 见
    jiàn

    to see / to meet / to appear (to be sth) / to interview / opinion / view

    xiàn

    to appear / also written 現|现[xiàn]

  • 人
  • 心
    xīn

    heart / mind / intention / center / core / CL:顆|颗[kē],個|个[gè]

Reference definitions from CC-CEDICT.