青山遮不住

Qīng shān zhē bú zhù

quotation

Meanings

1 the green mountains cannot block it
2 nothing can hold back the inevitable flow of history / truth

Characters

green, blue-green

to hold; to stop

Examples

HSK 5

改革开放的方向青山遮不住。

Gǎigé kāifàng de fāngxiàng qīng shān zhē bú zhù.

The direction of reform and opening cannot be blocked by the green mountains.

HSK 7-9

青山遮不住，毕竟东流去，时代的潮流无法阻挡。

Qīng shān zhē bú zhù, bìjìng dōng liú qù, shídài de cháoliú wúfǎ zǔdǎng.

The green mountains cannot block it - after all, the river flows east; the tide of the times cannot be stopped.

Tips

history

From Xin Qiji's 辛弃疾 Southern Song ci 《菩萨蛮·书江西造口壁》: 青山遮不住，毕竟东流去. (The green mountains cannot hold it back; after all, the river flows east.) Written on a wall at Zaokou in Jiangxi while mourning the Song court's retreat - the flowing river became a symbol of irreversible history.

usage

Always used with its pair 毕竟东流去. The couplet is often quoted to argue historical inevitability.

Stroke Order

青 qīng

山 shān

遮 zhē

不 bù

住 zhù