An extremely rare opportunity or event; something that happens once in a blue moon or once in a thousand years.
Era:
Ancient
Frequency:
Story:
The idiom '千载难逢' (qiān zài nán féng) originates from the Tang Dynasty and is associated with the renowned literary figure Han Yu.
Han Yu, an orphan, studied diligently from a young age and became a scholar, later serving as a high-ranking official. During the reign of Emperor Xianzong, Buddhism was very popular, and the Emperor planned to welcome a Buddha's relic into the palace for worship. Han Yu strongly opposed this, writing a memorial titled 'Memorial on the Bone of Buddha' (谏迎佛骨表), in which he criticized the Emperor's actions. This angered Emperor Xianzong, who ordered Han Yu's banishment to Chaozhou.
Later, as Emperor Xianzong's reforms strengthened the central government, Han Yu wrote another memorial, 'Memorial to Thank the Emperor from Chaozhou Governor' (潮州刺史谢上表). In this document, he praised the Emperor as a restorer of the dynasty and suggested he perform the 'Fengshan' (封禅) ceremony at Mount Tai – a grand ritual to sacrifice to Heaven and Earth, usually reserved for emperors with extraordinary achievements. Han Yu subtly expressed his hope to participate in such a magnificent and 'thousand-year-rare' event (千载一时不可逢之嘉会), considering it a lifelong regret if he missed it.
Eventually, Emperor Xianzong recalled Han Yu to the capital. The phrase '千载难逢' thus came to describe an opportunity that is extremely rare and hard to come by, like an event that occurs only once in a thousand years.