当惊世界殊

當驚世界殊

dāngjīngshìjièshū

phrase

Meanings

1 one is bound to be astonished at how the world has changed
2 fig. the world has transformed beyond recognition
3 a line used to marvel at epochal change

Characters

should / bound to

Examples

几十年巨变，真是当惊世界殊。

Jǐshí nián jùbiàn, zhēn shì dāng jīng shìjiè shū.

After decades of enormous change, one cannot help being astonished — the world is utterly different.

家乡高铁、5G、电动车——当惊世界殊。

Jiāxiāng gāotiě, wǔ G, diàndòngchē — dāng jīng shìjiè shū.

My hometown's high-speed rail, 5G, electric cars — truly, the world has changed beyond recognition.

Tips

history

From Mao Zedong's (毛泽东) 1956 ci poem 《水调歌头·游泳》 (Swimming, to the tune Shuǐdiào gētóu): 神女应无恙，当惊世界殊。 — 'The goddess of Wu must still be well — but she would be astonished at how different the world has become,' reflecting on the planned Three Gorges Dam reshaping the Yangtze.

usage

A favorite rhetorical line for anniversaries and retrospectives on modernization. 殊 here means 'different / distinct,' not 'special.' Strongly associated with Mao-era political poetry.

Stroke Order

当 dāng

惊 jīng

世 shì

界 jiè

殊 shū