相见恨晚
xiāng jiàn hèn wǎn
to wish one had met someone sooner; to hit it off at once
Character by character
相xiāng
each other
each other
见jiàn
meet
meet
恨hèn
regret
regret
晚wǎn
late
late
Example
两人一聊就是一晚上，都觉得相见恨晚。
The two of them talked all evening, and each wished they had met years ago.
Tone: positive (praise).
Usage and origin
For new friends, colleagues or partners who click at once; often 大有相见恨晚之感. It goes back to the 史记, where Emperor Wu of Han, meeting three gifted men, asks why they have met so late (何相见之晚也).
Learn this in Lesson 247 · HSK 9+: 利玛窦与徐光启 (Matteo Ricci and Xu Guangqi)
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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