What's the meaning of, 一日三秋

[stoney]

I think 一日三秋 means I miss you. How would an average Chinese person understand it?

Could you write it in a letter to someone you haven't seen in a long time?

Thanks.

[82riceballs]

actually, not everyone knows about 一日三秋 (i don't think). i think u could put it in a letter like: 沒有你，我每天過得一日三秋‧i.e. without u, everyday seems like three years (meaning, i really really really miss u)

i'm an american-born taiwanese, so u might want to ck this w/ someone who was born and raised in asia. i hope this helps for now.

[crow610]

Just looked on Pleco-ABC and the meaning is as follows:

one day (away from a dear one) seems like three years. I'm gonna start using this when I talk with my friends back in China...I really miss them!!

[zozzen]

一日三秋 is a very common idiom that comes from Chinese classics "Shi Jin".

The original text:一日不見，如三秋兮

One day not see, like three autumns.

(One day apart seems three autumns.)

Today, more people say "一日不見, 如隔三秋", or in a shorter form, "一日三秋".

I would bet 10 bucks that more than average Chinese understand it. I just haven't met anyone who don't understand it, though I didn't say it to everyone.

[zozzen]

我每天過得一日三秋

Using it as an adverb is not ...idiomatic.

You can say "跟你分別以後, 我終於嘗透了一日三秋的滋味" .

[82riceballs]

wow, zozzen!!! your chinese is amazing!!! how did you learn????

sorry abt my previous mistakes

[zozzen]

wow, zozzen!!! your chinese is amazing!!! how did you learn????

As a native Cantonese speaker, i use Chinese 15 hours a day, 365 days a year , and do it for a few decades. I've heard some new revolutionary methods of learning language, but I haven't made any.

[somchai69]

Thanks Zozzen! Now I will keep saying 一日不見, 如隔三秋 because I say something like this in English to my lover everyday.

[LiYuanXi]

Yah, this phrase is very common to the chinese. At least every friend I have here (even if she is lousy in chinese) understood this phrase.

No problems~ Can say it to any chinese~