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恍如隔世

Mandarin · pinyin huǎng rú gé shì

like a thing of the previous generation; as if it were a lifetime ago

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Characters in this entry

恍: huǎng · seemingly; absent-minded
如: rú · if, supposing; as if; like, as
隔: gé · separate, partition
世: shì · generation; world; era

Written characters and their own readings; the entry’s pronunciation is shown above.

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Mandarin tones

3–2–2–4 · huang3 ru2 ge2 shi4

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Read this spelling in Classical texts

Follow a written form into the eight pinned witnesses: Analects, Mencius, Laozi, Zhuangzi, Xunzi, Han Feizi, Sunzi and the Mao Shijing. A match is a place to investigate; it does not prove that a modern dictionary sense fits the passage.

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Wiktionary English definitions · Chinese section

Independent source senses for this spelling, with usage labels retained. Not matched to the pronunciation above.

phrase

(simile) to feel as if one has been separated from the outside world for ages; to feel like something is from another world; to feel that people and things have changed as if a lifetime has passed

Source page · dump 2026-09-02 · Contributors & history

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