Definition
长河 literally means 'long river', but in literary and figurative usage it refers to an 'endless flow' or 'long process' — most commonly the 'long river of time' or 'long river of history'. It evokes a sense of continuity and vastness. The Milky Way is an older, poetic sense that you may encounter in classical or literary texts, but the modern core meaning is the figurative 'long river' of time or history.
n.
(figurative) long river of time or historyendless flow(literal) long river
Examples
- 长河，。Lìshǐ de cháng bēnliú bùxī, jiànzhèng le duōshao xīngshuāi.The long river of history flows endlessly, witnessing so many rises and falls.
- 长河，。Zài shíjiān de cháng zhōng, gèrén de shēngmìng zhǐ shì duǎnzàn de yí shùn.In the long river of time, an individual's life is but a brief moment.
- 长河，。Zhè tiáo cháng wānyán chuānguò shāngǔ, zīyǎng le liǎng'àn de tǔdì.This long river winds through the valley, nourishing the land on both banks.
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