The whole sentence is: The accumulation of soil creates mountains, and wind and rain stir them up; the accumulation of water creates abyss, and dragons emerge; the accumulation of good deeds becomes virtue, and the gods are satisfied with themselves, and the holy heart is prepared. Therefore, if you do not accumulate steps, you cannot reach a thousand miles; if you do not accumulate small streams, you cannot reach a river or sea.

This paragraph comes from "Encouragement to Learning" by Xunzi of the pre-Qin Dynasty. The vernacular meaning is:

When earth and rocks are piled up, they become high mountains, and wind and rain rise from here; when water accumulates, they become abyss, and dragons rise from them. From here comes the idea that by accumulating good deeds and cultivating noble character, your mind will naturally become clear and you will have the spiritual realm of a saint. Therefore, without accumulating one and a half steps, there is no way to reach a thousand miles; without accumulating small flows, there is no way to form rivers and seas.

Extended information

As the opening chapter of "Xunzi", "Encouraging Learning" is an article that discusses the importance of learning and persuades people to learn with the correct purpose, attitude and method. prose. The article is based on simple materialism as the theoretical basis, quotes from a wide range of sources, and provides eloquent reasoning. It reflects some of the correct views of pre-Qin Confucianism on education, and also embodies the artistic style of Xunzi's articles as the culmination of the thoughts of pre-Qin philosophers.

The article can be divided into four paragraphs. The first paragraph explains the necessity of learning and the need to choose a good learning environment. The second paragraph explains that learning requires concentration and perseverance. The third paragraph explains the content and methods of learning. The fourth paragraph explains the fundamental purpose of learning, which is the ultimate destination.

This article focuses on the central argument that "learning cannot be stopped", and elaborates on the meaning, role, attitude, etc. of learning in an organized and hierarchical manner. Then it discusses its importance in detail, that is, learning can improve and change quality, making people wise and clear, and their words and deeds are faultless. This part uses the method of metaphorical argumentation. *** uses five metaphors including "green, taken from blue and green from blue".

Then two metaphors are used to introduce the argument: "When soil accumulates, a mountain will be formed, and wind and rain will flourish; when water accumulates, a chasm will form, and dragons will emerge; if good deeds accumulate, virtue will become, and the gods will be satisfied, and the holy heart will be prepared." This illustrates the key to learning. Pay attention to accumulation. Xunzi did not accept the idea of ??"born saints" at all. He pointed out that as long as people study hard and "accumulate good deeds," they can have the thoughts of a saint. A sage also becomes one through constant learning.

Then, the article further states: "Therefore, if you don't accumulate small steps, you can't reach a thousand miles; if you don't accumulate small streams, you can't become a river." This is a negative metaphor to illustrate the importance of accumulation. Through the positive and negative metaphors, the principle that learning should pay attention to accumulation has been initially clarified, thus fully demonstrating the significance of "not giving up", and the principle that learning should pay attention to accumulation has also been further proved.