Lǚxíng guò nàme duō dìfāng, zài kàn zhèlǐ de fēngjǐng, zhēn shì céng jīng cānghǎi nán wéi shuǐ.
After traveling to so many places, these views no longer impress me — once you have seen the ocean, other waters seem ordinary.
Tips
history
From Yuan Zhen's (元稹, Tang dynasty) 《离思五首·其四》, written mourning his late wife Wei Cong: 曾经沧海难为水，除却巫山不是云。取次花丛懒回顾，半缘修道半缘君 — 'Once you have seen the ocean, no other water counts; apart from the clouds of Mount Wu, no other clouds are clouds.' One of the most quoted laments in Chinese literature.
usage
Usually paired with its twin line 除却巫山不是云. Together they stand as shorthand for mourning a lost great love, or for refusing to settle after having known the best.
