擦肩而过 cā jiān ér guò pass each other by

Explanation

形容人与人之间非常接近，却彼此没有注意到对方，像肩膀互相擦过一样。也指错过机会。

Describes how close two people come without noticing each other, as if their shoulders had touched each other. It also refers to missed opportunities.

Origin Story

在一个热闹的集市上，一位年轻的画家正专心致志地作画，一位美丽的姑娘也前来观看。两人彼此欣赏，却因为人群的拥挤，只是擦肩而过，没有留下任何联系方式。画家后来一直记得这位姑娘，却再也找不到她，只能将这份遗憾深深埋藏在心底。几年后，画家名扬四海，却仍然在寻找那个美丽的姑娘。他意识到，有时候，最美好的东西，往往在不经意间就擦肩而过，令人惋惜。

zài yīgè rènào de jìshì shàng, yī wèi niánqīng de huàjiā zhèng zhuānxīnzhìzhì de zuòhuà, yī wèi měilì de gūniang yě qǐng lái guānkàn。liǎng rén bǐ cǐ xīnshǎng, què yīnwèi rénqún de yōngjǐ, zhǐshì cā jiān ér guò, méiyǒu liúxià rènhé liánxì fāngshì。huàjiā hòulái yīzhí jìde zhè wèi gūniang, què zǎi yě zhǎo bù dào tā, zhǐ néng jiāng zhè fèn yíhàn shēn shēn máicáng zài xīndǐ。jǐ nián hòu, huàjiā míngyáng sìhǎi, què réngrán zài xúnzhǎo nà wèi měilì de gūniang。tā yìshí dào, yǒuxiē shíhòu, zuì měihǎo de dōngxī, wǎngwǎng zài bù jīngyì jiān jiù cā jiān ér guò, lìng rén wǎnxī。

In a bustling market, a young painter was concentrating on his painting when a beautiful girl came to watch. The two admired each other, but because of the crowded crowd, they only passed each other by, without leaving any contact information. The painter later always remembered this girl, but could never find her again, only to bury this regret deep in his heart. Years later, the painter became famous all over the world, but he was still looking for that beautiful girl. He realized that sometimes, the most beautiful things often pass us by inadvertently, which is a pity.

Usage

常用于形容错过机会、人与人之间近距离接触但未相遇的情况。

cháng yòng yú xiángróng cuòguò jīhuì、rén yǔ rén zhī jiān jìnlì jīchù dàn wèi xiāngyù de qíngkuàng。

Often used to describe missed opportunities or situations where people are in close proximity but do not meet.

Examples

• 他们俩在人群中擦肩而过，没有认出彼此。

  tāmen liǎ zài rénqún zhōng cā jiān ér guò, méiyǒu rèn chū bǐ cǐ。

  They passed each other in the crowd without recognizing each other.

• 我曾经与我的梦想擦肩而过，现在我很后悔。

  wǒ céngjīng yǔ wǒ de mèngxiǎng cā jiān ér guò, xiànzài wǒ hěn hòuhuǐ。

  I once missed my dream, now I regret it very much.

• 机会稍纵即逝，我们不能让它擦肩而过。

  jīhuì shāo zòng jí shì, wǒmen bùnéng ràng tā cā jiān ér guò。

  Opportunities are fleeting, we must not let them slip away.

Related Idioms

• 错过

• 邂逅

Opposite Idioms

• 相遇

• 相逢