📖 Meaning
Literally meaning one day feels like three autumns (seasons). It describes the intense longing and yearning felt when separated from someone dear, where even a single day apart seems to drag on endlessly. The idiom conveys how emotional attachment distorts the perception of time.
📜 Origin Story
This idiom originates from the Classic of Poetry (诗经), specifically the poem 'Cai Ge' (采葛) from the Wang Feng (王风) section of the anthology, compiled during the Zhou Dynasty. The poem describes a person gathering plants—ge (kudzu), xiao (mugwort), and ai (argyi)—and lamenting that just one day without seeing their beloved feels like three months, three seasons, and three years respectively. The escalating imagery expresses growing yearning with each stanza. Over time, 'one day like three autumns' became the enduring phrase to capture this sentiment of deep longing during separation.
💡 Example Usage
自从丈夫出国工作后，妻子一日三秋，日夜盼他归来。
Ever since her husband went abroad for work, his wife has missed him sorely, each day feeling like an eternity, longing for his return day and night.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 一日三秋
- Pinyin: yī rì sān qiū
- Literal Translation: one day, three autumns
- Category: Emotion
- Characters: 4