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桑田沧海
桑田沧海
桑田沧海
桑田沧海
桑田沧海
桑田沧海
桑田沧海
桑田沧海

桑田沧海 — “Great and profound changes over time”

桑田沧海 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “Great and profound changes over time”. Referring to how drastically the world or circumstances can change, often implying a sense of vicissitude. Literally, “Mulberry fields turn into blue seas, and blue seas turn into mulberry fields”.

Frequency

桑田沧海 Pronunciation and Pinyin

桑田沧海 Character Breakdown

Stroke Order
CharacterPinyinStrokesMeaning
桑
sāng10mulberry tree
田
tián5cultivated field
沧
cāng7vast dark green waters
海
hǎi10sea, ocean, or vast

Example Sentence with 桑田沧海

我们家族在这里居住了几百年,眼看着曾经的小村庄如今高楼林立,真是桑田沧海啊。
Our family has lived here for hundreds of years, witnessing the once small village now filled with tall buildings. It truly reflects a profound transformation, like mulberry fields turning into blue seas.

Origin and Story of 桑田沧海

Long ago, the immortals Wang Yuan and Magu arranged to drink wine at Cai Jing's home.

Wang Yuan and his entourage soon arrived, but Magu was not there, so he sent a messenger to invite her.

When Magu arrived, she explained that she had been ordered to patrol Penglai.

She had already witnessed the East Sea transform into mulberry fields three times, and now the seawater had receded by half again.

Wang Yuan then remarked that soon, dust would be stirred up there once more.

Idioms Related to 桑田沧海

Synonyms of 桑田沧海

  • cāng沧hǎi海sāng桑tián田vast changes over time

More idioms starting with 桑

  • sāng桑zhōng中zhī之xǐ喜illicit love affair
  • sāng桑zhōng中zhī之yuē约secret lovers' rendezvous
  • sāng桑zhōng中shēng生lǐ李Surprised by something uncommon
  • sāng桑tǔ土zhī之móu谋diligently plan and prepare for the future
  • sāng桑tǔ土zhī之fáng防take precautions before trouble happens
  • sāng桑tǔ土chóu绸miù缪Diligently prepare and take precautions
  • sāng桑hú弧hāo蒿shǐ矢great aspirations and strong will
  • sāng桑hú弧péng蓬shǐ矢Lofty ambitions and aspirations
  • sāng桑hù户juàn桊shū枢extremely humble and impoverished living conditions
  • sāng桑hù户juàn棬shū枢humble dwelling, poor family
  • sāng桑hù户péng蓬shū枢extremely poor household
  • sāng桑shū枢wèng瓮yǒu牖humble and poor dwelling

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Questions about 桑田沧海

What does 桑田沧海 mean?

桑田沧海 (sāng tián cāng hǎi) is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “Great and profound changes over time”.

How do you pronounce 桑田沧海?

桑田沧海 is pronounced sāng tián cāng hǎi in Mandarin Chinese.

What does 桑田沧海 literally mean?

Literally, 桑田沧海 means “Mulberry fields turn into blue seas, and blue seas turn into mulberry fields”. It is used to mean “Great and profound changes over time”.

Where does 桑田沧海 come from?

桑田沧海 comes from a classical Chinese story dating back to ancient China. The full story is on this page.

What is the Chinese definition of 桑田沧海?

桑田:农田。大海变成桑田,桑田变成大海。比喻世事变化很大。

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