去年今日此门中

去年今日此門中

qùnián jīnrì cǐ mén zhōng

quotation

Meanings

1 last year on this day, at this very gate
2 opening of Cui Hu's 'Spring Day at the Southern Manor' - a year later, the girl is gone and only peach blossoms smile

Characters

Examples

HSK 6

走到从前约会的咖啡馆，他想起"去年今日此门中"。

Zǒu dào cóngqián yuēhuì de kāfēiguǎn, tā xiǎngqǐ " qùniánjīnrìcǐménzhōng ".

Walking to the café where they used to meet, he thought of 'last year on this day, at this very gate.'

HSK 7-9

去年今日此门中，如今人面已不知何处去。

Qùniánjīnrìcǐménzhōng, rújīn rén miàn yǐ bùzhī héchù qù.

Last year on this day, at this very gate - now the face I saw has gone I know not where.

Tips

history

Opening couplet of 《题都城南庄》 by 崔护 (Cui Hu, Tang dynasty): '去年今日此门中，人面桃花相映红。人面不知何处去，桃花依旧笑春风。' The source of the idiom 人面桃花 ('face of peach blossom,' lost-love theme).

culture

人面桃花 derived from this poem is the standard Chinese literary shorthand for 'romance that vanished without a trace.'

Stroke Order

去 qù

年 nián

今 jīn

日 rì

此 cǐ

门 mén

中 zhōng