Definition
跋山涉水 is a four-character idiom (成语) that literally means 'to cross mountains and wade rivers'. It describes a long, arduous journey involving significant hardship and physical effort. The phrase is commonly used in both literal travel contexts and figurative descriptions of any challenging process that requires perseverance.
f.e.
to go through a difficult and long journey (often used figuratively)
Examples
- ，跋山涉水。Wèile dàodá nàge piānyuǎn de cūnzhuāng, tāmen bá shān shè shuǐ zǒu le sān tiān.To reach that remote village, they traveled for three days through mountains and rivers.
- 跋山涉水，。Zhège xiàngmù jiù xiàng bá shān shè shuǐ yíyàng, chōngmǎn le tiǎozhàn.This project is like a difficult journey — full of challenges.
- 跋山涉水。Lǎo jiàoshòu niánqīng shí céng bá shān shè shuǐ qù gèdì shōují mínjiān gùshì.When he was young, the professor made arduous journeys to various places to collect folktales.
Browse more HSK 7-9 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.