人生一世，草木一春

Traditional form:

人生一世，草木一春

Pinyin (reading):

rénshēngyīshì,cǎomùyīchūn

Definitions:

• Man has but one life, grass but one spring (idiom). fig. the brevity of human existence

Characters:

• 人 - man, person; people
• 生 - life, lifetime; birth; growth
• 一 - one; a, an; alone
• 世 - generation, era, age; world
• 草 - grass, herbs; straw, thatch
• 木 - tree; wood, lumber; wooden
• 一 - one; a, an; alone
• 春 - springtime; joyful, lustful, wanton

Traditional characters:

• 人 - man, person; people
• 生 - life, lifetime; birth; growth
• 一 - one; a, an; alone
• 世 - generation, era, age; world
• 草 - grass, herbs; straw, thatch
• 木 - tree; wood, lumber; wooden
• 一 - one; a, an; alone
• 春 - springtime; joyful, lustful, wanton