Definition
时过境迁 is a four-character idiom (成语) meaning 'circumstances change as time passes.' The literal breakdown is 时 'time', 过 'passes', 境 'circumstances', 迁 'change'. It's used to express that situations are no longer the same as before, often with a sense of wistfulness or objective observation. It typically appears at the end of a clause or sentence.
f.e.
(chengyu) circumstances change with the passage of timethings are different now
Examples
- ，时过境迁。Èrshí nián hòu zài jiànmiàn, dàjiā dōu juéde shí guō le.When we met again after twenty years, everyone felt that circumstances had changed.
- 时过境迁。Xiǎo shíhou cháng qù de nà tiáo xiǎo hé xiànzài yǐjīng shí guō le.The small river I often went to as a child has now changed with time.
- ，时过境迁，。Huí dào mǔxiào, wǒ fāxiàn shí guō, xiàoyuán lǐ duō le hěn duō xīn jiànzhù.Returning to my alma mater, I found that circumstances had changed — the campus had many new buildings.
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