things change and stars shift; passage of time
Tone colorsmāmámǎmàma
Meanings
1 sense · 4 examplesidiom
things change and the stars move; referring to the passage of time and seasonal changes
literaryA literary idiom describing the passage of time and the changing of seasons. Often used in contexts of reflection, nostalgia, or describing long periods of time. Variant form: 星移物换.
Wù物
huàn换
xīng星
yí移
，
dāng当
nián年
de的
xiǎo小
yú渔
cūn村
rú如
jīn今
yǐ已
biàn变
chéng成
fán繁
huá华
de的
dū都
shì市
。
Things have changed and the stars have shifted; the small fishing village of those years has now become a bustling metropolis.
Jǐ几
shí十
nián年
guò过
qù去
le了
，
wù物
huàn换
xīng星
yí移
，
zhè这
lǐ里
zǎo早
yǐ已
wù物
shì是
rén人
fēi非
。
Decades have passed; with the changing of seasons and passage of time, things here are no longer as they were, and the people have changed.
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Shī诗
rén人
zhàn站
zài在
gǔ古
jì迹
qián前
，
gǎn感
tàn叹
wù物
huàn换
xīng星
yí移
，
rén人
shēng生
rú如
mèng梦
。
The poet stood before the ancient site, sighing that time flies and life is but a dream.
Yě也
kě可
yǐ以
shuō说
xīng星
yí移
wù物
huàn换
，
yì意
si思
wán完
quán全
xiāng相
tóng同
。
One can also say 星移物换 (stars shift, things change), which has exactly the same meaning.