Xúnzhǎo línggǎn de guòchéng, jiùshì zhònglǐxúntāqiānbǎidù.
The search for inspiration is exactly 'seeking him a thousand times in the crowd'.
Tips
history
From Xin Qiji's (辛弃疾) Southern Song ci 《青玉案·元夕》 (Green Jade Cup - Lantern Festival). Couplet: 众里寻他千百度, 蓦然回首, 那人却在，灯火阑珊处 - 'I sought him a thousand, a hundred times in the crowd; and turning back on a sudden impulse, there he stood, in the fading lantern-light.' The scholar Wang Guowei (王国维) in 《人间词话》 famously ranked this as the third of the 'three stages of great endeavour' - the moment of discovery after long search.
usage
Paired couplet - rarely quoted without 蓦然回首 that follows. Applies to love, discovery, research, hiring the right candidate, finding the right product. 他 in classical use is gender-neutral.
