old friend (literary)
Tone colorsmāmámǎmàma
Meanings
1 sense · 3 examplesnoun
old friend; former acquaintance (literary allusion)
literaryDerived from a passage in Du Fu's 《秋述》 (Autumn Narrative): '常时车马之客，旧，雨来，今，雨不来' (In the past, friends would come when it rained; now, they do not come when it rains). '旧雨' (old rain) metaphorically refers to old friends who remain loyal through difficult times, contrasted with '今雨' (new rain) referring to new friends or fair-weather acquaintances.
Jiù旧
yǔ雨
xīn新
zhī知
，
huān欢
jù聚
yī一
táng堂
。
Old friends and new acquaintances gathered together joyfully in one hall.
Cǐ此
cì次
chóng重
féng逢
，
zhēn真
shì是
jiù旧
yǔ雨
chóng重
féng逢
，
lìng令
rén人
gǎn感
kǎi慨
wàn万
qiān千
。
This reunion truly brought old friends together again, stirring countless emotions.
Show 1 more exampleShow fewer examples
Tā他
píng平
shēng生
jiāo交
yǒu友
shèn甚
guǎng广
，
jiù旧
yǔ雨
xīn新
zhī知
biàn遍
tiān天
xià下
。
He made friends widely throughout his life; his old and new acquaintances are spread across the world.