去年今日此门中

去年今日此門中

qùniánjīnrìcǐménzhōng

phrase

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

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 "qùnián jīnrì cǐ mén zhōng".

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

去年今日此门中，如今人面已不知何处去。

Qùnián jīnrì cǐ mén zhōng, rújīn rénmiàn 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