From China to Peru: origin and meanings

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(ECNS) -- “From China to Peru”, an English idiom mentioned by Chinese President Xi Jinping in a keynote speech during the 2016 APEC Economic Leaders’ Meeting held in Lima, capital of Peru, has several meanings in Chinese.

Data shows that the distance from China to Peru is 17,049 kilometers. In addition to its literal meaning, this phrase also means “everywhere”, “across the world,” and “the ends of the earth” as listed in the 21st Century Unabridged English-Chinese Dictionary and Bing Dictionary.

It is often quoted in the West as a conventional expression. For example, U.S. media wrote “A face that says, ‘fried chicken’ to hungry people from China to Peru?” in a report on a fast-food brand. In this sentence, "from China to Peru" refers to the sale of fried chicken to customers “all over the world”, not literally from China to Peru.

In the Vanity of Human Wishes, a poem written by British poet Samuel Johnson in the 18th century, “from China to Peru” means travelling all over the world.

Some people said “from China to Peru” was quoted by Johnson from Thomas Warton’s renowned “All human race, from China to Peru, Pleasure, howe'er disguis'd by art, pursue.” However, it is unknown when Thomas Warton wrote this poem.