一日不見，如隔三秋

Chinese
one day; another day in the future to not see; to not meet as (if); such as
 
to separate; to stand or lie between; to divide
to separate; to stand or lie between; to divide; to cut off
 three
 
autumn; fall; harvest time
autumn; fall; harvest time; a swing
trad. (一日不見，如隔三秋) 一日 不見 ， 如 隔 三 秋
simp. (一日不见，如隔三秋) 一日 不见 ， 如 隔 三 秋
Literally: “Not seeing (somebody) for a day is like being apart for three autumns.”

Etymology

From the Classic of Poetry, poem 72 (《詩經·王風·采葛》):

彼采蕭兮，一日不見，如三秋兮。 [Pre-Classical Chinese, trad.]
彼采萧兮，一日不见，如三秋兮。 [Pre-Classical Chinese, simp.]
From: The Classic of Poetry, c. 11th – 7th centuries BCE, translated based on James Legge's version
Bǐ cǎi xiāo xī, yīrì bùjiàn, rú sān qiū xī. [Pinyin]
There he is gathering the oxtail-southern-wood!
A day without seeing him, Is like three years!

Pronunciation

  • Mandarin
    (Pinyin): yīrìbùjiàn, rúgésānqiū
    (Zhuyin): ㄧ ㄖˋ ㄅㄨˋ ㄐㄧㄢˋ , ㄖㄨˊ ㄍㄜˊ ㄙㄢ ㄑㄧㄡ
  • Cantonese (Jyutping): jat1 jat6 bat1 gin3, jyu4 gaak3 saam1 cau1
  • Mandarin
    • (Standard Chinese)+
      • Hanyu Pinyin: yīrìbùjiàn, rúgésānqiū [Phonetic: yírìbújiàn, rúgésānqiū]
      • Zhuyin: ㄧ ㄖˋ ㄅㄨˋ ㄐㄧㄢˋ , ㄖㄨˊ ㄍㄜˊ ㄙㄢ ㄑㄧㄡ
      • Tongyong Pinyin: yirìhbùjiàn, rúgésanciou
      • Wade–Giles: i1-jih4-pu4-chien4, ju2-ko2-san1-chʻiu1
      • Yale: yī-r̀-bù-jyàn-, rú-gé-sān-chyōu
      • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: iryhbujiann, rugersanchiou
      • Palladius: ижибуцзянь, жугэсаньцю (ižibuczjanʹ, žugɛsanʹcju)
      • Sinological IPA (key): /i⁵⁵⁻³⁵ ʐ̩⁵¹ pu⁵¹⁻³⁵ t͡ɕi̯ɛn⁵¹ ʐu³⁵ kɤ³⁵ sän⁵⁵ t͡ɕʰi̯oʊ̯⁵⁵/
  • Cantonese

Idiom

一日不見，如隔三秋

  1. a single day apart seems like three years

Derived terms
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