长绳系日 — “To wish to hold back time”

In ancient times, the giant Kuafu raced against the sun. As he was about to catch up, he felt extremely thirsty and drank from the Yellow River and the Wei River, but he remained thirsty after draining them. He then went north to drink water from a great river, but he died of thirst before he could reach it.

On one occasion, Confucius was traveling east and encountered two children arguing. One child said, 'I think the sun is closer to us when it first rises in the morning, and farther away at noon.' The other believed it was farther in the morning and closer at noon. The first child argued, 'The sun is as big as a carriage cover when it first appears in the morning, but by noon, it becomes as small as a plate. Isn't this because it appears smaller when far away and larger when near?' The other child countered, 'The sun is cool in the morning, but by noon, it's hot like boiling water. Isn't this because it's hot when near and cool when far?' Confucius could not explain it either.

Later, the Jin Dynasty poet Fu Xuan lamented, 'As the year ends and time rushes by, all light fades away. How can I get a long rope to tie the white sun?' This line perfectly encapsulates the sentiment of wishing to hold back the relentless passage of time.