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断肠人在天涯

斷腸人在天涯
duànchángrénzàitiānyá
phrase

Meanings

  1. 1 the heartbroken traveler is at the edge of the sky
  2. 2 (fig.) desolate homesickness at the far end of the world
  3. 3 (lit.) broken-gut person at sky's-edge

Examples

夕阳西下，断肠人在天涯，他一个人坐在火车站想着远方的家。
Xīyáng xī xià, duànchángrén zài tiānyá, tā yī ge rén zuò zài huǒchēzhàn xiǎngzhe yuǎnfāng de jiā.
'The setting sun descends, the heartbroken traveler at sky's edge' — he sat alone in the station thinking of home far away.
这部小说的主人公漂泊一生，真是断肠人在天涯。
Zhè bù xiǎoshuō de zhǔréngōng piāobó yīshēng, zhēn shì duànchángrén zài tiānyá.
The novel's protagonist drifts all his life — truly 'the heartbroken traveler at the edge of the world.'

Tips

history
The famous final line of 马致远《天净沙·秋思》(Ma Zhiyuan, 'Tian Jing Sha: Autumn Thoughts,' Yuan dynasty, late 13th c.): 枯藤老树昏鸦，小桥流水人家，古道西风瘦马。夕阳西下，断肠人在天涯 (Withered vines, old trees, dusk crows; small bridge, flowing water, households; ancient road, west wind, gaunt horse. The setting sun goes down — the heartbroken traveler at the sky's edge). Known as '秋思之祖' (the ancestor of autumn-thought poems), this qu is one of the most famous short poems in Chinese.
usage
Always quoted with 夕阳西下 — the two lines are the poem's emotional punchline. 天涯 ('sky's edge') means the farthest, loneliest reaches of travel. Used in songs, films, and essays on displacement.

Stroke Order

断 duàn
肠 cháng
人 rén
在 zài
天 tiān
涯 yá