好景不长

好景不長

hǎojǐng-bùcháng

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

HSK 4

好景不长，公司很快就倒闭了。

Hǎojǐngbùcháng, gōngsī hěnkuài jiù dǎobì le.

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

HSK 5

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.

HSK 7-9

生意红火了一阵，好景不长。

Shēngyi hónghuǒ le yīzhèn, 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