📖 Meaning
This idiom describes the feeling that much time has passed or things have changed so dramatically that it seems like an entire era has gone by. It conveys a sense of disorientation and wistfulness when encountering people or places that are vastly different from one's memory.
📜 Origin Story
The idiom originates from the Song dynasty scholar Fan Chengda's travel diary 'Wu Chuan Lu' (Records of the Wu Boat). Upon departing from Changzhou, relatives and old friends from Pingjiang came to greet him along the road one after another. Seeing them after a long separation, he felt as though a whole generation had passed between them. The phrase later came to express the bittersweet sensation of encountering greatly changed circumstances.
💡 Example Usage
回到阔别多年的故乡，眼前的景象已面目全非，令人恍如隔世。
Returning to my hometown after many years away, the unrecognizable scenery before my eyes made me feel as though a whole lifetime had passed.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 恍如隔世
- Pinyin: huǎng rú gé shì
- Literal Translation: suddenly, as if, separated, a generation
- Category: Emotion
- Characters: 4