好景不长
hǎo jǐng bù cháng
good times do not last
Character by character
好hǎo
good
good
景jǐng
scene
scene
不bù
not
not
长cháng
long
long
Example
他的小店刚开业时生意很好，可惜好景不长，半年后就关门了。
His little shop did a roaring trade when it opened, but the good times did not last: it closed within six months.
Tone: neutral.
Usage and origin
The storyteller’s turn: 然而好景不长 or 可惜好景不长 sets up the downturn. Said of businesses, romances, weather and winning streaks.
Learn this in Lesson 16 · HSK 5: 共享单车的兴衰 (The rise and fall of the shared bike)
A dialogue, a reading, word cards with audio and a drill that uses it, in Learn Chinese with Bao. The first lessons of every level are free.
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