The scene at the airport felt like a parting forever.
Tips
history
Rooted in the Han yuefu poem 《为焦仲卿妻作》 (the source of Kongque Dongnan Fei): 生人作死别，恨恨那可论 — 'the living make a deathly farewell; how can one bear the grief?'
register
Strongly emotional and literary. Use for separations that truly are final or feel as tragic as death — exaggerating it for minor goodbyes sounds melodramatic.
