English translation: forming the big picture by piecing together separate parts
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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
Explanation: 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.
-------------------------------------------------- Note added at 15 hrs (2007-08-31 20:21:04 GMT) --------------------------------------------------
I don't think it is any famous quotation at all, to be frank.
the gradual construction of a big picture from scattered pieces of evidence
Explanation: 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.
-------------------------------------------------- Note added at 15 hrs (2007-08-31 20:21:04 GMT) --------------------------------------------------
I don't think it is any famous quotation at all, to be frank.
Somsak Patradoon Australia Local time: 10:24 Native speaker of: Thai, Chinese PRO pts in category: 4
Grading comment
Thank you all very much!It's very obscure, but now I understand what it means.
Explanation: 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.
The translation workplace 
