金风玉露

Pronunciation: jīn fēng yù lù Literal meaning: Golden wind jade dew

Origin & Usage

Golden (金) wind (风) and jade (玉) dew (露) — the autumn wind and the first cold dew, named in the colours of precious things. Qin Guan's lyric fixed the phrase: 金风玉露一相逢，便胜却人间无数, one meeting in the autumn wind and dew outdoes countless meetings in the ordinary world. He is writing about the Herdboy and the Weaving Maid, permitted one night a year, so the phrase carries the claim that the rarity is what makes the occasion rather than a flaw in it. What it marks is a set of conditions that have come right of their own accord and will not hold.

Examples

English: "The market conditions were ideal for launching the new product"

Chinese: 市场条件非常适合推出新产品