好景不长

好景不長

hǎojǐngbùcháng

idiom #34,123

Meanings

1 good times don't last long (idiom)
2 all good things come to an end
3 a fine scene is short-lived

Characters

scene; situation

long (in duration)

Examples

好景不长，公司很快就倒闭了。

Hǎojǐngbùcháng, gōngsī hěn kuài jiù dǎobì le.

The good times didn't last — the company soon went bankrupt.

他们刚在一起时很幸福，可惜好景不长。

Tāmen gāng zài yīqǐ shí hěn xìngfú, kěxī hǎojǐngbùcháng.

They were happy when they first got together, but sadly it didn't last.

生意红火了一阵，好景不长。

Shēngyi hónghuǒ le yī zhèn, hǎojǐngbùcháng.

Business boomed for a while, but the good times were short-lived.

Tips

usage

Usually used retrospectively — after the good times have ended, as a sad or resigned comment. Frequently paired with 可惜 (sadly) or followed by what went wrong. Not a warning about the future; a lament about the past.

memory

好 (good) + 景 (scene) + 不长 (not long). Think of a beautiful sunset — gorgeous but fades fast.

Stroke Order

好 hǎo

景 jǐng

不 bù

长 cháng