似水流年

sì shuǐ liú nián

literal meaning: like water flow years
translated: time passes like flowing water

This idiom is used as an analogy to liken the passage of time to the flow of water in a river or stream. Like water, time passes steadily, and only moves in one direction. It is not used in the same way as the English "time flies", which refers to the sudden passage of relatively short periods of time; instead, it is used to describe longer periods of time and the changes that gradually accumulate over these periods. Similarly, the related idiom 似水年华 (sì shuǐ nián huà // The best years flow away like water) is a nostalgic one that people use when recalling their youth or reminiscing about fond memories from long ago.

This idiom is used as an analogy to liken the passage of time to the flow of water in a river or stream. Like water, time passes steadily, and only moves in one direction. It is not used in the same way as the English "time flies", which refers to the sudden passage of relatively short periods of time; instead, it is used to describe longer periods of time and the changes that gradually accumulate over these periods. Similarly, the related idiom 似水年华 (sì shuǐ nián huà // The best years flow away like water) is a nostalgic one that people use when recalling their youth or reminiscing about fond memories from long ago.

似

sì

like, as

水

shuǐ

water

流年

liúnián

fleeting moment

流

liú

stream, flow

年

nián

year

Examples

房东的猫 - 爱你就像爱生命

Landlord's Cat - Loving You Is Like Loving Life

流年似水经过

Liúnián-sìshuǐ jīngguò

During theswift passage of time

This lyric uses the idiom in an unconventional way, but its meaning is still clear. Adding the verb 经过 converts the idiom from a standalone phrase into a noun representing "the swift passage of time". The switched order of characters does not affect the meaning.