p8nda
p8nda BETA
Home Dictionary Translate Flashcards Sign in

此事古难全

此事古難全
cǐ shì gǔ nán quán
quotation

Meanings

  1. 1 this is something that has never been perfect, since ancient times
  2. 2 such things have always been hard to have in full
  3. 3 (lit.) this matter, from ancient times, hard to make whole

Examples

人生不如意十之八九，此事古难全，何必强求？
Rénshēng bùrúyì shízhībājiǔ, cǐshìgǔnánquán, hébì qiǎngqiú?
Eight or nine things in ten don't go as we'd like — such things have never been whole; why force it?
亲人远隔，此事古难全，只能遥寄思念。
Qīnrén yuǎn gé, cǐshìgǔnánquán, zhǐnéng yáo jì sīniàn.
Loved ones separated by distance — it's always been so; all we can do is send our thoughts across the miles.

Tips

history
From Su Shi's (苏轼) Song-dynasty ci 《水调歌头·明月几时有》 (Prelude to Water Melody). Full passage: 『人有悲欢离合，月有阴晴圆缺，此事古难全』— 'people have sorrows and joys, partings and reunions; the moon has its dark and bright, its waxing and waning — such things have never been whole.' Written for the 1076 Mid-Autumn Festival while Su was separated from his brother Su Zhe.
usage
Said when resigning yourself to the inevitable imperfection of life — partings, missed chances, things that can't all line up. The tone is melancholy but accepting, not bitter.

Stroke Order

此 cǐ
事 shì
古 gǔ
难 nán
全 quán