an empty dream; illusory success
Tone colorsmāmámǎmàma
Meanings
1 sense · 4 examplesnoun
a brief, illusory dream; an empty, unfounded joy
literaryUsed to describe experiences of sudden success or happiness that turn out to be completely unreal or short-lived, leading to disillusionment. Derived from the Tang Dynasty story of Chunyu Fen.
Tā他
yǐ以
wéi为
zhòng中
le了
cǎi彩
piào票
，
jié结
guǒ果
bù不
guò过
shì是
nán南
kē柯
yī一
mèng梦
。
He thought he had won the lottery, but it turned out to be just an empty dream.
Míng名
lì利
fù富
guì贵
，
dào到
tóu头
lái来
dōu都
bù不
guò过
shì是
nán南
kē柯
yī一
mèng梦
。
Fame, fortune, and wealth all prove in the end to be nothing but an illusory dream.
Show 2 more examplesShow fewer examples
Zuó昨
rì日
róng荣
huá华
，
jīn今
rì日
yǐ已
chéng成
nán南
kē柯
yī一
mèng梦
。
Yesterday's glory has today become a vanished dream.
Zhè这
chǎng场
kàn看
sì似
wán完
měi美
de的
ài爱
qíng情
，
zuì最
zhōng终
bèi被
zhèng证
míng明
shì是
nán南
kē柯
yī一
mèng梦
。
This seemingly perfect love affair was ultimately proven to be a fleeting dream.