諺語 · a single proverb
一日不見，如隔三秋
Simplified: 一日不见，如隔三秋
What does 一日不見，如隔三秋 (yī rì bù jiàn rú gé sān qiū) mean?
一日不見，如隔三秋 (yī rì bù jiàn rú gé sān qiū) is a line of classical verse (shīcí 詩詞). Word for word it reads "one day apart feels like three autumns." In use it means: When you miss someone deeply, even a single day of separation stretches into what feels like years. Longing distorts time. You reach for it when you want that idea in one breath, and the Fire note it carries is why we hand it to those born in the Year of the Rabbit.
Literally: "one day apart feels like three autumns."
The reading
The clock on the wall says twenty-four hours. The clock in your chest says three years. Both are correct. Time is not a fixed thing. It bends around the people you care about, compressing when they are near and stretching when they are gone. Missing someone is just your internal clock disagreeing with the one on the wall.
What kind of proverb it is
Source Book of Songs 詩經, Wang Feng 王風, Cai Ge 采葛
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 Home, Family & Roots, or follow the years these lines belong to: Year of the Rabbit, Year of the Rat, and Year of the Ox.
Questions
Is 一日不見，如隔三秋 a real Chinese proverb?
Yes. 一日不見，如隔三秋 (yī rì bù jiàn rú gé sān qiū) is a line of classical verse (shīcí 詩詞), and it comes from Book of Songs 詩經, Wang Feng 王風, Cai Ge 采葛. 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 一日不見，如隔三秋?
In Mandarin it is yī rì bù jiàn rú gé sān qiū. Read the pinyin above each character to follow the tones, or press the speaker beside the calligraphy to hear your browser read 一日不見，如隔三秋 aloud in Mandarin.