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物是人非

Mandarin · pinyin wù shì rén fēi

(idiom) the place is unchanged, but the faces are different

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Characters in this entry

物: wù · thing, substance, creature
是: shì · indeed, yes, right; to be; demonstrative pronoun, this, that
人: rén · man; people; mankind; someone else
非: fēi · not, negative, non-; oppose; Kangxi radical 175

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

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Mandarin tones

4–4–2–1 · wu4 shi4 ren2 fei1

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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

(idiomatic) the things are still there but the person or people no longer are (describing the passing of a loved one or a revisit of a once familiar place)

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

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