📖 Meaning
This idiom means that good things or cherished wishes are hard to realize, just as a beautiful dream is easily broken and hard to fulfill. It expresses a sense of regret that one's hopes and aspirations often fail to come true in reality.
📜 Origin Story
The idiom originates from the Ming dynasty playwright Tang Xianzu's play 'The Purple Hairpin' (Zichai Ji), in the scene 'Jiao Chai Yuan'. In the text, the line '彩云轻散，好梦难圆' (the colorful clouds lightly scatter, the good dream is hard to complete) uses the imagery of a fragile, fleeting dream to symbolize the difficulty of achieving happiness and fulfillment. Tang Xianzu, one of the greatest dramatists of the Ming dynasty, frequently employed poetic metaphors of dreams and clouds to convey the transience of human wishes. The phrase has since become a common saying for regret over unrealized hopes.
💡 Example Usage
他苦等多年却始终无法圆梦，真是好梦难圆。
He waited for years but could never fulfill his dream—truly, a good dream is hard to realize.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 好梦难圆
- Pinyin: hǎo mèng nán yuán
- Literal Translation: good dream, difficult to complete
- Category: Philosophy
- Characters: 4