桑そう田でん滄そう海かい

expression

the world is ever-changing; vicissitudes of life

A literary yojijukugo originating from a Chinese legend, expressing that the world undergoes constant, dramatic change, like a mulberry field turning into a sea. Rare in modern conversation; used in formal or literary contexts.

• 桑そう田でん滄そう海かいの世よの中なか、栄えい枯こ盛せい衰すいは避さけられない。

  In this ever-changing world, ups and downs are inevitable.