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A classical Chinese line for “Goodbye and good luck”

These matches come from a curated corpus of real Chinese poetry and philosophy. The source line is fixed; the English wording is provided to make its meaning accessible.

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The closest lines we found

6 source-verified results
✓ Verified sourceBilingual

莫愁前路无知己，天下谁人不识君。

Mò chóu qián lù wú zhī jǐ, tiān xià shuí rén bù shí jūn.

Close English reading

Do not worry that no true friend waits on the road ahead; who under heaven does not know you?

Plain meaningGo forward confidently—you will find people who recognize and value you.

Source
Gao Shi· Tang dynasty · Farewell to Dong Da, No. 1
Complete Tang Poems
Why it fitsInstead of dwelling only on sorrow, the speaker gives a departing friend courage for the future.
Original context and translation note
莫愁前路无知己，天下谁人不识君。

English wording on Gu Ren Said is an original reading aid, not a claim that there is only one valid literary translation.

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✓ Verified sourceBilingual

相濡以沫，不如相忘于江湖。

Xiāng rú yǐ mò, bù rú xiāng wàng yú jiāng hú.

Close English reading

Rather than moistening each other with foam, it is better to forget each other in the rivers and lakes.

Plain meaningSometimes the kinder choice is to let each other go and live freely.

Source
Zhuangzi· Warring States period · The Great and Venerable Teacher
Zhuangzi
Why it fitsIt contrasts mutual struggle in a depleted place with freedom in a larger world.
Original context and translation note
泉涸，鱼相与处于陆，相呴以湿，相濡以沫，不如相忘于江湖。

The full passage describes fish stranded when a spring dries up. The line is about freedom from a desperate condition, not casual indifference.

English wording on Gu Ren Said is an original reading aid, not a claim that there is only one valid literary translation.

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孤帆远影碧空尽，唯见长江天际流。

Gū fān yuǎn yǐng bì kōng jìn, wéi jiàn Cháng Jiāng tiān jì liú.

Close English reading

The distant shadow of the lone sail disappears into the blue sky; only the Yangtze remains, flowing to the horizon.

Plain meaningI keep watching long after my friend has sailed away.

Source
Li Bai· Tang dynasty · Seeing Meng Haoran Off to Guangling from Yellow Crane Tower
Complete Tang Poems
Why it fitsThe speaker's sustained gaze makes farewell visible through the shrinking sail and the river that remains.
Original context and translation note
故人西辞黄鹤楼，烟花三月下扬州。孤帆远影碧空尽，唯见长江天际流。

English wording on Gu Ren Said is an original reading aid, not a claim that there is only one valid literary translation.

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海上生明月，天涯共此时。

Hǎi shàng shēng míng yuè, tiān yá gòng cǐ shí.

Close English reading

A bright moon rises over the sea; at the ends of the earth, we share this moment.

Plain meaningThough far apart, we are connected beneath the same moon.

Source
Zhang Jiuling· Tang dynasty · Gazing at the Moon and Thinking of Someone Far Away
Complete Tang Poems
Why it fitsThe moon creates a shared present for people separated by great distance.
Original context and translation note
海上生明月，天涯共此时。情人怨遥夜，竟夕起相思。

English wording on Gu Ren Said is an original reading aid, not a claim that there is only one valid literary translation.

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人有悲欢离合，月有阴晴圆缺，此事古难全。

Rén yǒu bēi huān lí hé, yuè yǒu yīn qíng yuán quē, cǐ shì gǔ nán quán.

Close English reading

People have sorrow and joy, meeting and separation; the moon has brightness and shadow, fullness and loss. Such things have never been complete.

Plain meaningLife cannot remain perfect or whole all the time.

Source
Su Shi· Northern Song dynasty · Prelude to Water Melody: When Will the Moon Be Clear and Bright?
Dongpo Yuefu
Why it fitsHuman change and lunar change are placed side by side, making incompleteness a shared condition rather than a private failure.
Original context and translation note
不应有恨，何事长向别时圆？人有悲欢离合，月有阴晴圆缺，此事古难全。

English wording on Gu Ren Said is an original reading aid, not a claim that there is only one valid literary translation.

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但愿人长久，千里共婵娟。

Dàn yuàn rén cháng jiǔ, qiān lǐ gòng chán juān.

Close English reading

May we both live long; though a thousand miles apart, we share the beauty of the moon.

Plain meaningEven far apart, may we be safe and connected under the same moon.

Source
Su Shi· Northern Song dynasty · Prelude to Water Melody: When Will the Moon Be Clear and Bright?
Dongpo Yuefu
Why it fitsThe shared moon becomes a bond between people who cannot physically reunite.
Original context and translation note
但愿人长久，千里共婵娟。

English wording on Gu Ren Said is an original reading aid, not a claim that there is only one valid literary translation.

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Translation note: The English readings are original explanatory translations for this product. They are designed for clarity and source verification, not presented as definitive literary translations.

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Related themes

FarewellClassical Chinese lines for parting, long-distance relationships, journeys, and wishing someone well on the road ahead.Letting goVerified lines from Chinese classics about release, acceptance, endings, and no longer being ruled by the past.

Original Chinese line, pinyin, a readable English explanation, and a traceable source—without inventing an ancient quotation.

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A Classical Chinese Line for “Goodbye and good luck” | Gu Ren Said