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Chinese/Dictionary entry

非一日之功

fēi yī rì zhī gōngdictionary entry
DEFINITION CC-CEDICT
lit. cannot be done in one day (idiom) / fig. will take much time and effort to accomplish
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-cc8851d260c30ddd. Source SHA-256: bbc4b27f26bee1a262f4d7939667a040c7857c7fc0200a2fa7a86d3352a09eae.

Original source entry:

非一日之功 非一日之功 [fei1 yi1 ri4 zhi1 gong1] /lit. cannot be done in one day (idiom)/fig. will take much time and effort to accomplish/

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.

  • 非
    fēi

    to not be / not / wrong / incorrect / non- / un- / in- / de- / to reproach / to blame / (coll.) to insist on / simply must

    Fēi

    abbr. for 非洲[Fēi zhōu], Africa

  • 一
    yī

    one / single / a (article) / as soon as / entire / whole / all / throughout / "one" radical in Chinese characters (Kangxi radical 1) / also pr. [yāo] for greater clarity when spelling out numbers digit by digit

  • 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

  • 之
    zhī

    (possessive particle, literary equivalent of 的[de]) / him / her / it

  • 功
    gōng

    meritorious deed or service / achievement / result / service / accomplishment / work (physics)

Reference definitions from CC-CEDICT.