阴晴圆缺
yīn qíng yuán quē
the waxing and waning of the moon; the ups and downs of life
Character by character
阴yīn
cloudy
cloudy
晴qíng
clear
clear
圆yuán
full
full
缺quē
waning
waning
Example
月有阴晴圆缺，生意也有好有坏，别太难过了。
The moon waxes and wanes, and business has its good and bad times too; do not take it too hard.
Tone: neutral.
Usage and origin
From the same line of 苏轼. Most often quoted in the full couplet 人有悲欢离合，月有阴晴圆缺 to console someone that nothing stays perfect.
Learn this in Lesson 228 · HSK 9+: 明月与离别 (The moon and parting in classical poetry)
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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