冰冻三尺，非一日之寒

bīngdòngsānchǐ,fēiyīrìzhīhán

it takes more than one cold day for the river to freeze three chi deep—the trouble has been brewing for quite some time

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bing1 dong4 san1 chi3 , fei1 yi1 ri4 zhi1 han2

three feet of ice does not form in a single day (idiom); Rome wasn't built in a day

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冰凍三尺，非一日之寒|冰冻三尺，非一日之寒 [bīng dòng sān chǐ , fēi yī rì zhī hán] ► three feet of ice does not form in a single day (idiom); Rome wasn't built in a day