kiến bất thủ nhi tầm thiên lý

In real, traceable use. Part of the curated seed collection; community review is coming.

Meaning · English

Seen and not seized, then sought a thousand miles — the chance passed up costs the journey after it.

Literally: seeing, not taking; then searching a thousand lý

Examples

Cơ hội trước mắt không nắm, kiến bất thủ nhi tầm thiên lý.Skip the chance at your feet, hunt it a thousand miles after.

Editorial example (VI sweep batch 040, illustrative)

Sources & notes

Discovered via Tục ngữ, cổ ngữ, gia ngôn (Huỳnh Tịnh Của, 1897; public domain, via vi.wikisource); retrieved 2026-08-01. Source: source ↗ Attested in Tục ngữ, cổ ngữ, gia ngôn (Huỳnh Tịnh Của, 1897). Definition is an original editorial synthesis, not copied from the source.

Common questions

What does “kiến bất thủ nhi tầm thiên lý” mean?

Seen and not seized, then sought a thousand miles — the chance passed up costs the journey after it. Literally: seeing, not taking; then searching a thousand lý

Is “kiến bất thủ nhi tầm thiên lý” formal or informal?

No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.