Glossary entry (derived from question below)
Chinese term or phrase:
由点成线，再到面
English translation:
forming the big picture by piecing together separate parts
Added to glossary by
Ozethai
Aug 31, 2007 04:43
16 yrs ago
Chinese term
United States
Quality, timely Chinese translation.
Native in: English 
Works in: Chinese to English, English
"由点成线，再到面"
Chinese to English
Social Sciences
Archaeology
Quotation
The context here seems to be that the writer is quoting someone famous in describing an historical breakthrough in archaeology.
Change log
Sep 4, 2007 21:58: Ozethai changed "Edited KOG entry" from "<a href="/profile/669676">Caroline Moreno's</a> old entry - "由点成线，再到面"" to ""forming the big picture by piecing together separate parts""
Proposed translations
15 hrs
Selected
the gradual construction of a big picture from scattered pieces of evidence
Literally, this means from a dot that has no dimension, progress to a line which has one dimension; then progress further to a plane, which is two dimensional; and finally becoming a solid, which is three dimensional.
The picture painted byf these Chinese terms tells us that this is a process or method of painstakingly tedious construction of some recognizable, meaningful, concrete or significant outcome, theory, or picture from many spotty, haphazard, coincidental, random, a-bit-here-and-a-bit-there (empirical?) pieces of evidence.
I trust you will be able to come up with a better English expression, Caroline, knowing now what this means.
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Note added at 15 hrs (2007-08-31 20:21:04 GMT)
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I don't think it is any famous quotation at all, to be frank.
The picture painted byf these Chinese terms tells us that this is a process or method of painstakingly tedious construction of some recognizable, meaningful, concrete or significant outcome, theory, or picture from many spotty, haphazard, coincidental, random, a-bit-here-and-a-bit-there (empirical?) pieces of evidence.
I trust you will be able to come up with a better English expression, Caroline, knowing now what this means.
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Note added at 15 hrs (2007-08-31 20:21:04 GMT)
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I don't think it is any famous quotation at all, to be frank.
4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer.
Comment: "Thank you all very much!It's very obscure, but now I understand what it means. "
1 hr
(a method of) working outward from a point, connecting points and filling in the gaps
I don't know of an original "quotation"?
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Note added at 1 hr (2007-08-31 05:58:21 GMT)
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There seem to be lots of variations on 由点成线，由线成面 (，由面成体)
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Note added at 1 hr (2007-08-31 05:58:21 GMT)
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There seem to be lots of variations on 由点成线，由线成面 (，由面成体)
1 day 1 hr
orientalhorizon
Native in Chinese
Banking,law,commerce,engineering
Native in: Chinese
Works in: English to Chinese, Chinese to English, English, and 1 more.
Related KudoZ points
:
12
from discreet points to comrehensive continuum
the early archeological findings may be scattered and discreet, but gradually the authorities may try to accumulate information and connect the different seemingly sporadic points, expand the probing areas, and finally get the remains integrated into a whole continuum, or many large continuums instead of the original unrelated points.
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Note added at 1 day1 hr (2007-09-01 06:25:17 GMT)
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"discreet" should be "discrete", sorry.
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Note added at 1 day1 hr (2007-09-01 06:25:17 GMT)
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"discreet" should be "discrete", sorry.
Discussion
实现遗址在姚江流域空间分布探索“由点成线，再到面”的历史跨越