"The Cowherd and the Weaver Girl" originates from ancient Chinese mythology and the nineteenth poem in *Nineteen Ancient Poems*, "Far Away the Cowherd Star." It originally refers to the Cowherd Star and the Weaver Girl Star being separated by the Milky Way, meeting only once a year on the seventh day of the seventh lunar month. Later, it came to symbolize husbands and wives or lovers who are separated for long periods due to circumstances beyond their control, spending more time apart than together. This idiom carries a strong romantic and sorrowful tone and is often used to describe couples living in different places or forced apart by work or war. It is commonly used in literature and colloquial speech to express helplessness and longing caused by separation. Culturally, it is closely tied to China's Qixi Festival and symbolizes unwavering love. Emotionally, it embodies both the yearning for reunion and the tragic beauty of separation. Note: it emphasizes a state of "separation" rather than a brief parting.
📝 Example
1. After they got married, one worked in the south while the other taught in the north, living for years like the Cowherd and the Weaver Girl—a couple separated for long periods and rarely reunited.
2. During the war years, many families were forced to become like the Cowherd and the Weaver Girl, gazing at each other across the sea for decades—husbands and wives separated by conflict and unable to reunite.