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A classical Chinese line for “Life cannot be perfect”

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

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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✓ Verified sourceBilingual

寄蜉蝣于天地，渺沧海之一粟。

Jì fú yóu yú tiān dì, miǎo cāng hǎi zhī yī sù.

Close English reading

We lodge like mayflies between heaven and earth, tiny as a single grain in the vast sea.

Plain meaningHuman life is brief and small within the immensity of the universe.

Source
Su Shi· Northern Song dynasty · Former Rhapsody on the Red Cliffs
Guwen Guanzhi: Former Rhapsody on the Red Cliffs
Why it fitsThe mayfly and grain of millet place an individual life against cosmic scale.
Original context and translation note
寄蜉蝣于天地，渺沧海之一粟。

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

沉舟侧畔千帆过，病树前头万木春。

Chén zhōu cè pàn qiān fān guò, bìng shù qián tóu wàn mù chūn.

Close English reading

Beside the sunken boat, a thousand sails pass; before the diseased tree, ten thousand trees enter spring.

Plain meaningNew life and opportunity continue beyond loss and decline.

Source
Liu Yuxi· Tang dynasty · Reply to Bai Juyi at Our First Banquet in Yangzhou
Complete Tang Poems
Why it fitsThe damaged boat and tree remain visible, but they no longer occupy the whole landscape.
Original context and translation note
沉舟侧畔千帆过，病树前头万木春。

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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五福：一曰寿，二曰富，三曰康宁，四曰攸好德，五曰考终命。

Wǔ fú: yī yuē shòu, èr yuē fù, sān yuē kāng níng, sì yuē yōu hǎo dé, wǔ yuē kǎo zhōng mìng.

Close English reading

The five blessings are longevity, wealth, health and peace, love of virtue, and a fulfilled natural end.

Plain meaningA full life includes health, security, character, and longevity.

Source
Anonymous· Pre-Qin China · Hong Fan (The Great Plan)
Book of Documents
Why it fitsThe list shows that classical blessing joins material well-being to health, virtue, and a complete life.
Original context and translation note
五福：一曰寿，二曰富，三曰康宁，四曰攸好德，五曰考终命。

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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采菊东篱下，悠然见南山。

Cǎi jú dōng lí xià, yōu rán jiàn nán shān.

Close English reading

I pluck chrysanthemums by the eastern fence and, at ease, see the southern mountain.

Plain meaningPeace appears when you step away from noise and live simply.

Source
Tao Yuanming· Eastern Jin dynasty · Drinking Wine, No. 5
Collected Works of Tao Yuanming
Why it fitsA quiet everyday action opens into an unforced encounter with nature.
Original context and translation note
结庐在人境，而无车马喧。

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

归去来兮，田园将芜胡不归？

Guī qù lái xī, tián yuán jiāng wú hú bù guī?

Close English reading

Return, return! The fields are going wild—why not go home?

Plain meaningLeave the life that drains you and return to what truly matters.

Source
Tao Yuanming· Eastern Jin dynasty · Return Home
Collected Works of Tao Yuanming
Why it fitsIt voices the moment of choosing a more authentic life over exhausting ambition.
Original context and translation note
悟已往之不谏，知来者之可追。

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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A Classical Chinese Line for “Life cannot be perfect” | Gu Ren Said