时移世易
shí yí shì yì
times have changed; the world is not what it was
Character by character
时shí
times
times
移yí
shift
shift
世shì
world
world
易yì
change
change
Example
时移世易，当年最热门的专业，如今已经没多少人报考了。
Times have changed: the most sought-after subject of those days now attracts few applicants.
Tone: neutral.
Usage and origin
Written; it often opens a sentence to explain why the old ways no longer fit. It goes back to 《吕氏春秋·察今》: 世易时移，变法宜矣, “when the times change, the laws should change too”, and 世易时移 is also used.
Learn this in Lesson 131 · HSK 7–9: 消失的老物件 (Things that disappeared)
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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