樵柯烂尽 — “Woodcutter's axe handle rotted completely”
樵柯烂尽 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “describes the immense passage of time and the profound changes that have occurred, often implying that one is unaware of how much time has passed”. Literally, “Woodcutter's axe handle rotted completely”.
樵柯烂尽 Pronunciation and Pinyin
樵柯烂尽 Character Breakdown
Stroke OrderExample Sentence with 樵柯烂尽
Origin and Story of 樵柯烂尽
During the Jin Dynasty, there was a legend about Wang Zhi, a prince from Xin'an Prefecture, who earned his living by chopping wood.
One day, he brought a brand new axe to Shishi Mountain. Reaching the mountaintop, he saw a few children playing chess. Intrigued, he stopped to watch them.
The children offered him some green dates. He watched them play until the end, only to discover that the handle of his axe had completely rotted away.
When he finally returned home, he realized that several decades had passed.
Idioms Related to 樵柯烂尽
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Open the tool →Questions about 樵柯烂尽
What does 樵柯烂尽 mean?
樵柯烂尽 (qiáo kē làn jǐn) is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “describes the immense passage of time and the profound changes that have occurred, often implying that one is unaware of how much time has passed”.
How do you pronounce 樵柯烂尽?
樵柯烂尽 is pronounced qiáo kē làn jǐn in Mandarin Chinese.
What does 樵柯烂尽 literally mean?
Literally, 樵柯烂尽 means “Woodcutter's axe handle rotted completely”. It is used to mean “describes the immense passage of time and the profound changes that have occurred, often implying that one is unaware of how much time has passed”.
Where does 樵柯烂尽 come from?
樵柯烂尽 comes from a classical Chinese story dating back to modern Chinese. The full story is on this page.
What is the Chinese definition of 樵柯烂尽?
砍柴的斧子手柄已经烂掉。比喻时间的长久和世事的变迁