# 日月如梭

rì yuè rú suō

Time passes very quickly

## Meaning & wording

**Literally:** Sun and moon move like a weaving shuttle

**Register:** Formal · literary

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

## When to use it

Use literary reflection on the swift passage of time.

Not a literal description of celestial motion.

## Understanding the expression

A shuttle passes swiftly back and forth in weaving, producing fabric while never staying still. The sun and moon take that motion as an image for days and nights slipping past. The expression often appears in reflections on growth, aging, or a reunion after many years. It conveys emotional speed rather than clock measurement. Familiar routines can make elapsed years feel especially surprising when someone finally pauses to look back.

## Examples

日月如梭，孩子已经毕业了。

### Traditional Chinese

日月如梭，孩子已經畢業了。

rì yuè rú suō ， hái zi yǐ jīng bì yè le 。

Time flies; the child has already graduated.

日月如梭，转眼又到年末。

### Traditional Chinese

日月如梭，轉眼又到年末。

rì yuè rú suō ， zhuǎn yǎn yòu dào nián mò 。

Time passes swiftly; the year’s end is here again.

看着旧照片，她感叹日月如梭。

### Traditional Chinese

看著舊照片，她感嘆日月如梭。

kàn zhe jiù zhào piàn ， tā gǎn tàn rì yuè rú suō 。

Looking at old photographs, she reflected on how quickly time passes.

日月如梭，我们相识已二十年。

### Traditional Chinese

日月如梭，我們相識已二十年。

rì yuè rú suō ， wǒ men xiāng shí yǐ èr shí nián 。

Time flies; we have known each other for twenty years.

## 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=%E6%97%A5%E6%9C%88%E5%A6%82%E6%A2%AD)

- [Ministry of Education · 成語典](https://dict.idioms.moe.edu.tw/idiomView.jsp?ID=869&webMd=1&la=0)

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