千载难逢 qiān zǎi nán féng
once in a lifetime; extremely rare opportunity
Literally: thousand years hard meet
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Origin
From Han Yu's Tang-dynasty memorial, calling an imperial ceremony an occasion 'hard to meet in a thousand years'.
How to use it
Attributive; positive. Almost always 千载难逢的机会/好机会.
Example sentences
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- 这是一个千载难逢的好机会，你一定要抓住。Zhè shì yī gè qiān zǎi nán féng de hǎo jīhuì, nǐ yīdìng yào zhuāzhù.This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity; you must seize it.this is one (measure) thousand years hard meet (particle) good opportunity, you certainly must grasp
- 能亲眼看到奥运会开幕式，真是千载难逢。Néng qīnyǎn kàndào Àoyùnhuì kāimùshì, zhēnshi qiān zǎi nán féng.Seeing the Olympic opening ceremony with my own eyes is truly once in a lifetime.can own-eye see Olympics opening-ceremony, truly thousand years hard meet
More chengyu about time & change
- 一日千里yī rì qiān lǐto advance at a tremendous pace; by leaps and bounds
- 光阴似箭guāng yīn sì jiàntime flies like an arrow
- 与时俱进yǔ shí jù jìnto keep pace with the times; to move with the times
- 迫在眉睫pò zài méi jiéextremely urgent; imminent
- 今非昔比jīn fēi xī bǐthe present cannot be compared with the past; things have changed enormously
- 岁月如梭suì yuè rú suōtime flies like a weaver's shuttle; how quickly the years pass
- 昙花一现tán huā yī xiàna flash in the pan; short-lived like the night-blooming cereus
- 不知不觉bù zhī bù juéunconsciously; before one knows it