恍若隔世 huǎng ruò gé shì as if separated by a lifetime

Explanation

形容时间或世事变化巨大，令人有隔世之感。

Describes the feeling that a lot of time has passed or that the world has changed drastically, so that one feels like they are in a different world.

Origin Story

老张回到了阔别二十年的家乡，眼前的景象让他感到恍若隔世。曾经熟悉的村庄如今变成了现代化的城镇，高楼大厦拔地而起，宽阔的马路取代了泥泞的小路。他儿时玩耍的小河不见了踪影，取而代之的是一个漂亮的人工湖。村里的人们也发生了巨大的变化，不少人搬去了城里，村里只剩下一些上了年纪的老人们。老张不禁感叹，时间过得真快，家乡的变化太大了，让他感觉像是来到了一个陌生的世界。他坐在家乡的老槐树下，回忆起童年往事，心中五味杂陈。虽然物是人非，但家乡的点点滴滴依然深深地刻在他的记忆里。他决定多留几天，好好感受家乡的变化，找回一些久违的记忆。

lǎo zhāng huí dào le kuò bié èrshí nián de jiā xiāng, yǎn qián de jǐng xiàng ràng tā gǎn dào huǎng ruò gé shì. céng jīng shú xī de cūn zhuāng rú jīn biàn chéng le xiàn dài huà de chéng zhèn, gāo lóu dà shà bá dì ér qǐ, kuān kuò de mà lù qǔ dài le ní níng de xiǎo lù. tā ér shí wán shuǎi de xiǎo hé bù jiàn le zōng yǐng, qǔ ér zhī de shì yīgè piàoliang de rén gōng hú. cūn lǐ de rén men yě fā shēng le jù dà de biàn huà, bù shǎo rén bān qù le chéng lǐ, cūn lǐ zhǐ shèng xià yī xiē shàng le nián jì de lǎo rén men. lǎo zhāng bù jīn gǎn tàn, shí jiān guò de zhēn kuài, jiā xiāng de biàn huà tài dà le, ràng tā gǎnjué xiàng shì lái le yīgè mò shēng de shì jiè. tā zuò zài jiā xiāng de lǎo huái shù xià, huí yì qǐ tóng nián wàng shì, xīn zhōng wǔ wèi zá chén. suī rán wù shì rén fēi, dàn jiā xiāng de diǎn diǎn dī dī yī rán shēn shēn de kè zài tā de jì yì lǐ. tā jué dìng duō liú jǐ tiān, hǎo hǎo gǎn shòu jiā xiāng de biàn huà, zhǎo huí yī xiē jiǔ wéi de jì yì.

Old Zhang returned to his hometown after twenty years of absence, and the scene before him made him feel as if he were in a different world. The once-familiar village had now become a modern town, with high-rise buildings rising from the ground, and wide roads replacing the muddy paths. The creek where he used to play as a child was gone, replaced by a beautiful artificial lake. The villagers had also changed greatly; many had moved to the city, leaving only a few elderly people in the village. Old Zhang could not help but sigh; time had passed so quickly, and the changes in his hometown were so great that he felt like he had come to a strange world. He sat under the old locust tree in his hometown and recalled his childhood memories; his heart was filled with a mixture of emotions. Although times had changed, the details of his hometown were still deeply engraved in his memory. He decided to stay a few more days, to fully experience the changes of his hometown, and retrieve some long-lost memories.

Usage

用来形容因时间或世事变迁巨大而产生的感受。

yòng lái xiáoróng yīn shíjiān huò shìshì biàn qiān jùdà ér chǎn shēng de gǎnshòu.

Used to describe the feeling caused by great changes over time or events.

Examples

• 十年未见，再见时，感觉恍若隔世。

  shí nián wèi jiàn, zài jiàn shí, gǎnjué huǎng ruò gé shì.

  After ten years of separation, when we met again, it felt like a lifetime had passed.

• 经历了这场变故，他感觉恍若隔世。

  jīng lì le zhè chǎng biàngù, tā gǎnjué huǎng ruò gé shì.

  After this incident, he felt like he was in a different world.

Related Idioms

• 恍如隔世

• 沧海桑田

Opposite Idioms

• 历历在目

• 记忆犹新