Rome wasn't built in a day
1
5.7
- idiom
:
Roma no se construyó en un día
- Whenever I'm frustrated by slow progress, I remind myself that Rome wasn't built in a day.
Examples
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They are making steady improvements—after all, Rome wasn't built in a day.
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She tried to learn piano quickly, but her teacher told her that Rome wasn't built in a day.
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Remember, Rome wasn't built in a day!
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You need to be patient; Rome wasn't built in a day.
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Just like a great novel, Rome wasn't built in a day; it takes time to craft something meaningful.
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When starting a new business, keep in mind that Rome wasn't built in a day, so be patient with your progress.
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In learning a new language, remember that Rome wasn't built in a day, and practice is essential for improvement.
Antonyms
How Quickly
Surface Forms
Morphology
Rome + wasn't + build + in + a + day
The proverb's meaning — that important projects or achievements require time — is directly inferable from the literal composition: 'Rome' (a well-known city) + 'wasn't built in a day' (not constructed within one day). This is a straightforward metaphorical generalization that is cross-linguistically common, so a B1 learner who knows the constituent words can readily understand the intended meaning.
Etymology
Rome wasn't built in a day refers to the real city of Rome, which grew slowly over many years as people added buildings, walls and roads. So the saying means 'important things take time' and cannot be done all at once.