白驹过隙
白驹过隙 (bái jū guò xì) literally means “white colt passes crack” and expresses “time flies swiftly”. This idiom is used when describing situations involving life philosophy.
Also searched as: bai ju guo xi, bai ju guo xi,白驹过隙 meaning, 白驹过隙 in english
Time flies swiftly
Pronunciation: bái jū guò xì Literal meaning: White colt passes crack
Origin & Usage
The Zhuangzi asks what a human life is between heaven and earth and answers: a white colt (白驹) glimpsed through (过) a gap in the wall (隙), and then it is over. Everything in the image is doing work — the horse is at a gallop, the crack is narrow, and the observer's view is fixed. The retrospective sense that a long period went past without being noticed is what it names, which is why it belongs to memorials, reunions and the end of the year.
Examples
English: "Time flies, and before we know it, years have passed like a white horse through a narrow gap."
Chinese: 时光荏苒，白驹过隙。
Related Chinese Idioms
Similar idioms about life philosophy
黄粱一梦
huáng liáng yī mèng
Ephemeral dreams
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弄假成真
nòng jiǎ chéng zhēn
Reality from pretense
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普天同庆
pǔ tiān tóng qìng
Shared celebration
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穷途末路
qióng tú mò lù
No options left
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天花乱坠
tiān huā luàn zhuì
Exaggerated speech
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一丝不挂
yī sī bù guà
Stark naked; wholly unattached
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痴人说梦
chī rén shuō mèng
Nonsensical talk
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洋洋大观
yáng yáng dà guān
A rich and impressive array
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Frequently Asked Questions
What does 白驹过隙 mean in English?
白驹过隙 (bái jū guò xì) literally translates to “White colt passes crack” and is used to express “Time flies swiftly”. This Chinese idiom belongs to the Life Philosophy category.
When is 白驹过隙 used?
Situation: Time flies, and before we know it, years have passed like a white horse through a narrow gap.
What is the pinyin for 白驹过隙?
The pinyin pronunciation for 白驹过隙 is “bái jū guò xì”.