# 一日三秋

yī rì sān qiū

Feel a short separation as painfully long

## Meaning & wording

**Literally:** One day feels like three autumns

**Register:** Warm · literary

[People & connection](https://chinese-idioms.yudis.dev/idioms/topics/relationships)

## When to use it

Express strong longing for someone absent.

Literary exaggeration, usually affectionate rather than literal.

## Understanding the expression

A day normally passes quickly, but longing stretches its felt duration into several seasons. The expression describes emotional time rather than calendar time. It often appears between loved ones or close friends who miss each other intensely. The emphasis is not merely impatience about an appointment. It links the slow feeling directly to absence, making reunion desirable. In ordinary conversation it can be deliberately poetic or gently playful rather than solemn.

## Examples

刚分开，她就觉得一日三秋。

### Traditional Chinese

剛分開，她就覺得一日三秋。

gāng fēn kāi ， tā jiù jué de yī rì sān qiū 。

She felt the separation intensely from the first day.

异地恋让他们体会到一日三秋。

### Traditional Chinese

異地戀讓他們體會到一日三秋。

yì dì liàn ràng tā men tǐ huì dào yī rì sān qiū 。

Their long-distance relationship made each day apart feel long.

母亲想念孩子，真是一日三秋。

### Traditional Chinese

母親想念孩子，真是一日三秋。

mǔ qīn xiǎng niàn hái zi ， zhēn shì yī rì sān qiū 。

The mother misses her child intensely.

等老友来访，我有种一日三秋的感觉。

### Traditional Chinese

等老友來訪，我有種一日三秋的感覺。

děng lǎo yǒu lái fǎng ， wǒ yǒu zhǒng yī rì sān qiū de gǎn jué 。

Waiting for my old friend's visit feels endlessly long.

## 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=%E4%B8%80%E6%97%A5%E4%B8%89%E7%A7%8B)

- [Ministry of Education · 成語典](https://dict.idioms.moe.edu.tw/idiomView.jsp?ID=517&webMd=1&la=0)

## Keep exploring

- [以身作则 yǐ shēn zuò zé Lead through one's own example ](https://chinese-idioms.yudis.dev/idioms/yi-shen-zuo-ze)

- [一视同仁 yī shì tóng rén Treat everyone with equal consideration ](https://chinese-idioms.yudis.dev/idioms/yi-shi-tong-ren)

- [一手遮天 yī shǒu zhē tiān Use overwhelming influence to keep others from knowing the truth ](https://chinese-idioms.yudis.dev/idioms/yi-shou-zhe-tian)

- [一团和气 yī tuán hé qì A warmly harmonious atmosphere or manner ](https://chinese-idioms.yudis.dev/idioms/yi-tuan-he-qi)

## Keep this one close.

Save useful idioms, read offline, and revisit them with flashcards in Almanac.

[View on the App Store ](https://apps.apple.com/app/id6819590452)

[Previous idiom 一日千里 ](https://chinese-idioms.yudis.dev/idioms/yi-ri-qian-li) [Next idiom 易如反掌 ](https://chinese-idioms.yudis.dev/idioms/yi-ru-fan-zhang)