Refers to the unpredictable and rapid changes in phenomena or situations, like white clouds turning into gray dogs in an instant; metaphor for the mutable nature of worldly affairs.
这些年来，家乡的变化真是白云苍狗，昔日的田野已变成了高楼大厦。
Over these years, the changes in my hometown have been truly unpredictable, like white clouds turning into gray dogs; the former fields have become towering buildings.
Era:
Ancient
Frequency:
Antonym:
Story:
During the Tang Dynasty, a scholar named Wang Jiyou lived in poverty. His wife, Ms. Liu, unable to endure their hardship, abandoned him.
Many people, unaware of the full circumstances, criticized Wang Jiyou. The renowned poet Du Fu, feeling that Wang Jiyou was wronged, wrote a poem titled "Lament."
In it, he included the lines, "Floating clouds in the sky resemble white garments; in an instant, they change like gray dogs." He used this imagery to express his deep sigh over the fickle and unpredictable nature of human affairs.
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