咫尺天涯
zhǐ chǐ tiān yá
so near and yet so far
Character by character
咫zhǐ
span
span
尺chǐ
foot
foot
天tiān
sky’s
sky’s
涯yá
edge
edge
Example
两家只隔一堵墙，却多年不来往，真是咫尺天涯。
The two families are separated by a single wall, yet they have not spoken for years: so near and yet so far.
Tone: neutral.
Usage and origin
咫 was an ancient measure of eight 寸 (Chinese inches), roughly a hand-span. Compare 近在咫尺 (5-15), which is simply “very near”; 咫尺天涯 adds the pain of a closeness that cannot be crossed, often of separated lovers or of the two sides of the strait.
Learn this in Lesson 225 · HSK 9+: 新诗一百年 (A century of modern 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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