往来成古今

往來成古今
wǎnglái chéng gǔjīn
quotation

Meanings

  1. 1 comings and goings make past and present
  2. 2 the flux of history turns today into yesterday
  3. 3 Meng Haoran's line on the passage of time

Examples

HSK 7-9
Rénshìyǒudàixiè, wǎngláichénggǔjīn - dēng Xiàn Shān de gǎnkǎi.
'Human affairs succeed one another; comings and goings make past and present' - the lament at Mount Xian.
HSK 7-9
Lìshǐ bówùguǎn de chángláng ràng rén xiǎngqǐ " wǎngláichénggǔjīn ".
The long corridor of the history museum calls to mind 'comings and goings make past and present.'

Tips

history
From the Tang poet 孟浩然's 《与诸子登岘山》: the opening couplet is 人事有代谢往来成古今. 岘山 is in 襄阳, Hubei. Meng Haoran climbs it, recalls earlier worthies, and sighs at how time keeps turning.
usage
Always cited together with the preceding line 人事有代谢. 往来 here means the constant coming and going of time. Today it suits reflective, commemorative, or museum-tour contexts.

Stroke Order

wǎng
lái
chéng
jīn