Almost always paired with its opposite
月圆 (yuèyuán, 'full moon') in the four-character expression
月圆月缺 — a stock metaphor for life's reunions and separations, made famous by Su Shi's line
人有悲欢离合，
月有阴晴圆缺 ('people have sorrows and joys; the moon has its dark and bright, full and missing').
