諺語 · a single proverb
過眼雲煙
What does 過眼雲煙 (guò yǎn yún yān) mean?
過眼雲煙 (guò yǎn yún yān) is a four-character classical idiom (chéngyǔ 成語). Word for word it reads "passing before the eyes like clouds and smoke." In use it means: Transient as passing clouds; things that quickly pass before the eyes without leaving a trace. You reach for it when you want that idea in one breath, and the Metal note it carries is why we hand it to those born in the Year of the Goat.
Literally: "passing before the eyes like clouds and smoke."
The reading
The cloud passes across the eye's field and the smoke thins and both are gone, and this is not loss but the nature of the transient. Not everything that appears is meant to stay, and the eye that grasps at every passing cloud is never still enough to see clearly what is actually here. Some things are for looking at, not holding.
What kind of proverb it is
Source Su Shi 蘇軾 derived; common Chinese classical expression
Sits beside
Keep reading
Return to the Proverb Pond to draw another of the eighty-seven, or hear one read aloud. Read the rest of its chapter in Nature, Seasons & Health, or follow the years these lines belong to: Year of the Goat, Year of the Rat, and Year of the Rabbit.
Questions
Is 過眼雲煙 a real Chinese proverb?
Yes. 過眼雲煙 (guò yǎn yún yān) is a four-character classical idiom (chéngyǔ 成語), and it comes from Su Shi 蘇軾 derived; common Chinese classical expression. It is living Chinese heritage, given here with per-character pinyin and its source so you can trust the line, not a phrase invented in English.
How do you pronounce 過眼雲煙?
In Mandarin it is guò yǎn yún yān. Read the pinyin above each character to follow the tones, or press the speaker beside the calligraphy to hear your browser read 過眼雲煙 aloud in Mandarin.