One plant at a time, another at a time
As a Chinese idiom, the Pinyin is d à nzh à NGM à ch é ng, and the metaphor is very effective. It comes from Yi Lin by Jiao Yanshou of Han Dynasty.
The origin of Idioms
Jiao Yanshou's Yilin of the Han Dynasty (Volume 9): "once a tree has pepper beans, it becomes a soup in the evening. If you want to, you will be happy. "
Idiom explanation
Metaphor works very fast.
One plant at a time, another at a time
I don't know how to turn it upside down - bù zhī diān dǎo
an author with many works to his credit - zhù zuò děng shēn
with a bear 's loin and a tiger 's back - xióng yāo hǔ bèi
the weather in autumn is as hot as in summer - qiū xíng xià líng