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积少成多

jī shǎo chéng duōdictionary entry
DEFINITION CC-CEDICT
(idiom) many little things add up to sth great / many little drops make an ocean
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-ef0a21d54ffc04e0. Source SHA-256: bbc4b27f26bee1a262f4d7939667a040c7857c7fc0200a2fa7a86d3352a09eae.

Original source entry:

積少成多 积少成多 [ji1 shao3 cheng2 duo1] /(idiom) many little things add up to sth great; many little drops make an ocean/

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: 積少成多

  • 积
    jī

    to amass / to accumulate / to store up / (math.) product (the result of multiplication) / (TCM) constipation / indigestion

  • 少
    shǎo

    few / less / to lack / to be missing / to stop (doing sth) / seldom

    shào

    young

  • 成
    chéng

    to succeed / to finish / to complete / to accomplish / to become / to turn into / to be all right / OK! / one tenth

    Chéng

    surname Cheng / short name for Chengdu 成都[Chéng dū]

  • 多
    duō

    many / much / more / a lot of / too many / in excess / (after a numeral) ... odd / how (to what extent) (Taiwan pr. [duó]) / (bound form) multi- / poly-

Reference definitions from CC-CEDICT.