JLPT N2Four-character idioms
一日千秋
- Meaning
- 待ち遠しくて一日が千年のように長く感じること
- Explanation
- 「一日千秋」 means that one day feels as long as a thousand years (a thousand autumns), expressing that time feels extremely long because of eager anticipation. It is used in situations of looking forward to a reunion or a result. c3, 「一日が忙しく過ぎ去る」 (a day passes by busily), is the opposite; the point is the eager feeling that makes time feel long.
Original Japanese explanation
「一日千秋」は、一日が千年（千の秋）にも感じられる意から、待ち遠しくて時間が非常に長く感じられることを表します。再会や結果を心待ちにする場面で使います。c3の「一日が忙しく過ぎ去る」は逆で、長く感じるほど待ち遠しい気持ちが要点です。
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