昔人已乘黄鹤去

昔人已乘黃鶴去
xī rén yǐ chéng huánghè qù
quotation

Meanings

  1. 1 the ancients have already ridden the yellow crane away
  2. 2 (fig.) the person of the past is long gone, only the site remains
  3. 3 (lit.) the former person already mounted the yellow crane and departed

Examples

HSK 4
Dēngshàng Huánghèlóu, nánmiǎn xiǎngqǐ xī rén yǐ chéng huánghè qù.
Climbing the Yellow Crane Tower, one can't help remembering 'the ancient has ridden the yellow crane away.'
HSK 7-9
Gùjū yóu zài, xī rén yǐ chéng huánghè qù, zhǐ liúxià yī duàn chuánshuō.
The old residence still stands, but 'the one of old has ridden the yellow crane away,' leaving only a legend.

Tips

history
Opening of 崔颢《黄鹤楼》 (Cui Hao, Tang): 昔人已乘黄鹤去,此地空余黄鹤楼。黄鹤一去不复返,白云千载空悠悠 (The one of old has ridden the yellow crane away; this place is left with only the Yellow Crane Tower. The yellow crane, once gone, returns no more; white clouds for a thousand years drift on in vain). Legend says an immortal rode a yellow crane from the tower. The poem is so beloved that Li Bai, visiting later, famously declined to write, saying 眼前有景道不得,崔颢题诗在上头 (There's a scene before my eyes I cannot describe - Cui Hao has written the poem above).
usage
The Yellow Crane Tower (黄鹤楼) stands on Snake Hill in Wuhan, rebuilt many times. The phrase is the classical template for 'the person is gone, the place remains' sentiment, often used as a eulogy.

Stroke Order

rén
chéng
huáng