秋水共长天一色

秋水共長天一色
qiū shuǐ gòng cháng tiān yī sè
quotation

Meanings

  1. 1 autumn waters merge with the boundless sky into a single color
  2. 2 water and sky blend seamlessly, a metaphor for grand, unbroken scenery

Examples

HSK 2
Zhàn zài Dòngtíng Hú biān, zhēn yǒu qiūshuǐgòngchángtiānyīsè de gǎnjué.
Standing by Dongting Lake, one really senses autumn water merging with the endless sky into one color.
HSK 7-9
秋天海边落霞孤鹜齐飞秋水共长天一色
Qiūtiān de hǎibiān, luòxiá yǔ gūwù qífēi, qiūshuǐgòngchángtiānyīsè.
On an autumn shore, the sunset glow flies with the lone duck, and the autumn water merges with the sky into one color.

Tips

history
From the Tang-era 王勃's 《滕王阁序》: '落霞与孤鹜齐飞秋水共长天一色。' (The setting glow flies alongside the lone wild duck; the autumn water shares one color with the long sky.) Regarded as the most famous parallel couplet in Chinese prose-poetry.
usage
here = 'together with / share', not the modern 'total.' 长天 = the vast sky. Always quoted together with 落霞与孤鹜齐飞.

Stroke Order

qiū
shuǐ
gòng
cháng
tiān