沧海桑田 cāng hǎi sāng tián

fig. the transformations of the world

Word data

HSK Not in HSK
Frequency 50336th word

Definitions

  1. 1. fig. the transformations of the world
  2. 2. lit. the blue sea turned into mulberry fields (idiom)

Characters

Character Meaning
沧 cāng HSK 6
blue-green or azure (of water); vast (of water); cold
海 hǎi HSK 4
ocean; sea; great number of people or things
桑 sāng HSK 6
mulberry tree; surname Sang; old variant of 桑sāng
田 tián HSK 6
field; farm; surname Tian