📖 Meaning
Gatherings are few and partings are many. This idiom laments the impermanence of human reunions and the sorrow of frequent separation between loved ones or friends.
📜 Origin Story
This idiom originates from a Song Dynasty ci poem by Xin Qiji titled 'Die Lian Hua: Seeing Off Brother Youzhi.' The poet, seeing off his younger brother, reflected on how rarely they met and how often they were apart, noting the graying of their temples and recent illness as further aggravations. The phrase was later widely adopted in literature to express the pain of repeated separation, as seen in Wang Shifu's 'Romance of the Western Chamber' in the Yuan Dynasty.
💡 Example Usage
夫妻俩常年分居两地，会少离多，感情却始终如一。
The couple lived apart for years, meeting rarely and parting often, yet their love remained steadfast.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 会少离多
- Pinyin: huì shǎo lí duō
- Literal Translation: meet, few, part, many
- Category: Emotion
- Characters: 4