📖 Meaning
The ocean becomes a mulberry field and mountains turn into deep valleys — a metaphor for tremendous changes in the world. It describes how the landscape of life and society can transform beyond recognition over time. The idiom conveys a philosophical sense of impermanence.
📜 Origin Story
The phrase appears in the Qing dynasty poem 'Song of the Jade Belt' (玉带生歌) by the scholar Zhu Yizun (朱彜尊). The line reads, 'Through three hundred autumns of seas turning to mulberry fields and hills to valleys, it remains as before when stroked by hand,' praising the endurance of an inkstone despite centuries of upheaval. The imagery draws on the ancient trope of oceans becoming mulberry fields (沧海桑田), extended to include mountains sinking into valleys, emphasizing the vastness of worldly transformation.
💡 Example Usage
历经海桑陵谷，这座古城依然屹立不倒。
After seas turned to mulberry fields and hills to valleys, this ancient city still stands firm.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 海桑陵谷
- Pinyin: hǎi sāng líng gǔ
- Literal Translation: sea, mulberry field, hill, valley
- Category: Philosophy
- Characters: 4