岁月不饶人 (suì yuè bù ráo rén) — time and tide wait for no one; time spares no o…

Definition

A set phrase meaning time and tide wait for no one — used to sigh about aging or to urge action while young.

idiom

time and tide wait for no onetime spares no one

岁月不饶人，。
suì yuè bù ráo rén, Zhuǎn yǎn jiān wǒ men dōu lǎo le.
Time and tide wait for no one — in the blink of an eye we've all grown old.
，岁月不饶人。
Kàn zhe fù mǔ de bái fà, wǒ bù jīn gǎn tàn suì yuè bù ráo rén.
Looking at my parents' white hair, I couldn't help but sigh that time spares no one.
岁月不饶人，。
suì yuè bù ráo rén, Chèn zhe nián qīng yào duō zuò zì jǐ xiǎng zuò de shì.
Time waits for no one — while you're young, do more of what you want to do.

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 歲; 岁 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú

Sound part声符shēngfú

戉

戉yuè歲suì

The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

In 歲, the part 步 shows movement over time, and 戉 gives the sound; this explanation is about 歲, not the simplified 岁.

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

月 was drawn as a crescent moon, with the curved outline showing the moon’s shape.

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.

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 饒; 饶 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú

Sound part声符shēngfú

堯

堯yáo饒ráo

The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 饒 uses 食 (food) for meaning and 堯 for sound; the simplified 饶 is a later shorthand.

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

The shape of 人 shows a side view of a standing person, with an arm and a leg.