"It furthers one to cross the great water"

From the I Ching (the Chinese Book of Changes):

Hexagram # 26 - Ta Ch'u - THE TAMING POWER OF THE GREAT.

 Perseverance furthers.
 Not eating at home brings good fortune.
 It furthers one to cross the great water.

[The I Ching and its hexagrams were thought to pre-date recorded history, and based on traditional Chinese accounts, its origins trace back to the 3rd to the 2nd millennium BC.]

[Also see associated interesting story from 1970-ish.]