📖 Meaning
Describes time passing by with extreme swiftness. The image is that of a magnificent horse galloping past a narrow gap in an instant, symbolizing how fleeting life and time are.
📜 Origin Story
The idiom derives from the Daoist classic Zhuangzi (《庄子·知北游》), written by Zhuang Zhou during the Warring States period. The original passage states that human life between heaven and earth is like a white horse passing through a crevice—sudden and brief. The variant '骐骥过隙' substitutes '骐骥' (a fine steed) for '白驹' (white horse) while preserving the same metaphor of time racing past in a flash.
💡 Example Usage
回首往事，真如骐骥过隙，转眼已是数十年。
Looking back on the past, time has passed like a fleeting steed—decades have gone by in the blink of an eye.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 骐骥过隙
- Pinyin: qí jì guò xì
- Literal Translation: fine steed, pass, crevice
- Category: Philosophy
- Characters: 4