人生何處不相逢

人生何處不相逢

See also: 人生何处不相逢

Chinese

		life	what place; where	not; no	to meet by chance; to bump into each other; to run into each other
trad. (人生何處不相逢)		人生	何處	不	相逢
simp. (人生何处不相逢)		人生	何处	不	相逢
Literally: “in life, where will you not run into other people?”.

Etymology

From the poem 《金柅園》 attributed to Yan Shu (991–1055).[1][2] The line was a tribute to (and reversal of) Li Shangyin's line 人生何處不離群 ("Where, in one's lifetime, can be spared the pain of parting?") from the poem 《杜工部蜀中離席》 (A Farewell Banquet in Shu, after the Style of Du Fu).

Pronunciation

• Mandarin

  (Pinyin): rénshēng héchù bù xiāngféng

  (Zhuyin): ㄖㄣˊ ㄕㄥ ㄏㄜˊ ㄔㄨˋ ㄅㄨˋ ㄒㄧㄤ ㄈㄥˊ

• Cantonese (Jyutping): jan⁴ sang¹ ho⁴ cyu³ bat¹ soeng¹ fung⁴

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• Mandarin
  • (Standard Chinese)⁺
    • Hanyu Pinyin: rénshēng héchù bù xiāngféng
    • Zhuyin: ㄖㄣˊ ㄕㄥ ㄏㄜˊ ㄔㄨˋ ㄅㄨˋ ㄒㄧㄤ ㄈㄥˊ
    • Tongyong Pinyin: rénsheng héchù bù siangfóng
    • Wade–Giles: jên²-shêng¹ ho²-chʻu⁴ pu⁴ hsiang¹-fêng²
    • Yale: rén-shēng hé-chù bù syāng-féng
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: rensheng herchuh bu shiangferng
    • Palladius: жэньшэн хэчу бу сянфэн (žɛnʹšɛn xɛču bu sjanfɛn)
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /ʐən³⁵ ʂɤŋ⁵⁵ xɤ³⁵ ʈ͡ʂʰu⁵¹⁻⁵³ pu⁵¹ ɕjɑŋ⁵⁵ fɤŋ³⁵/
• Cantonese
  • (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou)⁺
    • Jyutping: jan⁴ sang¹ ho⁴ cyu³ bat¹ soeng¹ fung⁴
    • Yale: yàhn sāng hòh chyu bāt sēung fùhng
    • Cantonese Pinyin: jan⁴ sang¹ ho⁴ tsy³ bat⁷ soeng¹ fung⁴
    • Guangdong Romanization: yen⁴ seng¹ ho⁴ qu³ bed¹ sêng¹ fung⁴
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /jɐn²¹ sɐŋ⁵⁵ hɔː²¹ t͡ʃʰyː³³ pɐt̚⁵ sœːŋ⁵⁵ fʊŋ²¹/

Proverb

人生何處不相逢

1. even if you are separated from somebody by a great distance, there is always a chance that you may bump into them someday; it's a small world

References

1. 永樂大典 [The Yongle Encyclopedia] (in Chinese), volume 10950, 1408, published 1562, LCCN 2018421653, page 17: “晏同𠦑詩：「臨川樓上柅園中，十五年前此會同。一曲清歌滿樽酒，人生何𠁅不相逢。」”
2. 陳思, 陳世隆, editors (c. 13th–14th century) 兩宋名賢小集 (in Chinese), volume 110, page 6