冰冻三尺 bīng dòng sān chǐ

DEFINITIONS

  1. three feet of ice forms not in a single day; gradual accumulation over time

CHARACTERS

冰 bīng
HSK 3
ice; ice-cold
冻 dòng
HSK 5
freeze; cold, congeal; jelly
三 sān
HSK 1
three
尺 chǐ
HSK 5
Chinese measure approx. 'foot'