A journey of a thousand li starts with a single step.
• Ch. 64, line 12
• Variant translations:
• A journey of a thousand [miles] starts with a single step.
• A journey of a thousand miles started with a first step.
• A thousand-mile journey starts from your feet down there.
• As translated by Dr. Hilmar Klaus
• Every journey begins with a single step.
• Ch. 64, line 12
• Variant translations:
• A journey of a thousand [miles] starts with a single step.
• A journey of a thousand miles started with a first step.
• A thousand-mile journey starts from your feet down there.
• As translated by Dr. Hilmar Klaus
• Every journey begins with a single step.
“
千里之行始於足下。
• Qiān lǐ zhī xíng shǐ yú zú xià.
— Laozi
What It Means
This is a placeholder explanation generated by the low-overhead model. It interprets "千里之行始於足下。
• Qiān lǐ zhī xíng shǐ yú zú xià." in the context of "A journey of a thousand li starts with a single step.
• Ch. 64, line 12
• Variant translations:
• A journey of a thousand [miles] starts with a single step.
• A journey of a thousand miles started with a first step.
• A thousand-mile journey starts from your feet down there.
• As translated by Dr. Hilmar Klaus
• Every journey begins with a single step." to mean that wisdom is timeless.
Source: Wikiquote: "Laozi" (Quotes, Tao Te Ching)
The 'What it means' explanation text was generated by Google Gemini Flash (accessed January 18, 2026). https://gemini.google.com/app
About Laozi
老子 Lǎozi (c. 6th – 5th century BC) was a Chinese monist philosopher; also called Lao Zi, Lao Tzu, Lao Tse, or Lao Tze. The Tao Te Ching (道德經, Pinyin: Dào Dé Jīng, or Dao De Jing) represents the sole document generally attributed to Laozi.
About Laozi
老子 Lǎozi (c. 6th – 5th century BC) was a Chinese monist philosopher; also called Lao Zi, Lao Tzu, Lao Tse, or Lao Tze. The Tao Te Ching (道德經, Pinyin: Dào Dé Jīng, or Dao De Jing) represents the sole document generally attributed to Laozi.
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