# 白驹过隙

bái jū guò xì

Time passes extremely quickly

## Meaning & wording

**Literally:** A white horse flashes past a crack

**Traditional Chinese:** 白駒過隙

**Register:** Reflective · literary

[Change & possibility](https://chinese-idioms.yudis.dev/idioms/topics/change)

## When to use it

Reflect on fleeting years or brief human life.

Literary reflection, not usually a precise measure of speed.

## Understanding the expression

Looking through a narrow gap gives only a momentary glimpse of a passing horse. Its appearance and disappearance make a striking comparison for time that cannot be held still. The expression often appears when remembering childhood, reunions, or the shortness of life. It emphasizes the observer's sense of fleeting duration. A busy afternoon can seem fast too, but the phrase usually carries more reflective weight than casual complaints about a timetable.

## Examples

岁月如白驹过隙，孩子已经成年。

### Traditional Chinese

歲月如白駒過隙，孩子已經成年。

suì yuè rú bái jū guò xì ， hái zi yǐ jīng chéng nián 。

Years fly past; the child is already grown.

毕业十年，回想起来如白驹过隙。

### Traditional Chinese

畢業十年，回想起來如白駒過隙。

bì yè shí nián ， huí xiǎng qǐ lái rú bái jū guò xì 。

Ten years since graduation seem to have flashed by.

人生如白驹过隙，更应珍惜相聚。

### Traditional Chinese

人生如白駒過隙，更應珍惜相聚。

rén shēng rú bái jū guò xì ， gèng yìng zhēn xī xiāng jù 。

Life is fleeting, making time together precious.

翻着旧照，她感叹白驹过隙。

### Traditional Chinese

翻著舊照，她感嘆白駒過隙。

fān zhe jiù zhào ， tā gǎn tàn bái jū guò xì 。

Looking through old photos, she reflected on time's swift passing.

## Sources & reference checks

Original explanations and examples from Chinese Idioms Almanac. Source-checked October 6, 2026.

- [CC-CEDICT · forms & pronunciation](https://www.mdbg.net/chinese/dictionary?page=worddict&wdqb=%E7%99%BD%E9%A7%92%E9%81%8E%E9%9A%99)

- [Ministry of Education · 成語典](https://dict.idioms.moe.edu.tw/idiomView.jsp?ID=450&webMd=1&la=0)

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