“冰冻三尺非一日之寒”，字面意思是“冰冻了三尺，并不是一天的寒冷所能达到的效果（It takes more than one cold day for the river to freeze three feet deep）”。比喻一种情况的形成，是经过长时间的积累、酝酿的，与英文谚语“Rome wasn't built in a day”意思相近，表示“it takes a long time to do a task properly, and you should not rush it or expect to do it quickly”。
- 冰冻三尺非一日之寒，凯恩和汤姆都很清楚前方任务艰巨。
Rome was not built in a day, and Kahn and Tom both know there is tough work ahead. - 冰冻三尺非一日之寒，成功是建立在耐心追求的基础上，在追求的过程中不会被暂时的失败打倒。
Rome was not built in one day. Success is founded on the basis of patient pursuit that can never be impeded by temporary failures.
