时不再来 (shí bù zài lái) — time lost will not come again; (used to urge seizing the present moment)

Definition

A four-character idiom used to urge seizing the present — once time has passed, it will not return. Often paired with 机不可失 to stress that both opportunity and time are one-shot.

idiom
time lost will not come again(used to urge seizing the present moment)

Examples

  • ，时不再来。
    Jī bù kě shī, shí bù zài lái.
    Opportunity cannot be missed; time won't come again.
  • ，时不再来。
    Nǐ yào zhuā zhù zhè ge jī huì, shí bù zài lái a.
    You must seize this opportunity; time won't come again.
  • ，时不再来，。
    Rén shēng duǎn zàn, shí bù zài lái, bié làng fèi qīng chūn.
    Life is short, time won't come again; don't waste your youth.

Origin

Characters in this word

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 時; 时 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
日日rìsun; day
Sound part声符shēngfú
之
之zhī時shí
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 時 pairs 日 (sun/day) with 之 as the part that gives the sound; the simplified 时 is not the form described.

Open 时 →

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

The picture in 不 originally showed a flower’s calyx; the “no” sense came later from a related character, not from this picture.

Open 不 →

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

Open 再 →

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 來; 来 is its simplified writing.

The traditional form 來 shows a wheat plant: a central ear, upward leaves, and downward stem and roots. The simplified 来 is a later shorthand.

Open 来 →

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