记忆犹新

• Pinyin: jì yì yóu xīn
• Hanzi breakdown: 记忆 = memory; 犹 = 犬 + 酋 (dog + chief — still/as if); 新 = 亲 + 斤 (kin + axe — new)

Meaning

To remain fresh in one's memory; the memory is still vivid. Used when a past event is remembered as clearly as if it just happened.

A fixed four-character idiom (成语). Typically describes positive or significant past experiences that leave a lasting impression. Common in speeches, essays, and personal accounts.

Examples

1. 那次难忘的旅行至今记忆犹新，每个细节都历历在目。 That unforgettable trip is still vivid in my mind, and every detail is crystal clear.
2. 老人对童年时村里的景象依然记忆犹新。 The elderly man still remembers what the village looked like when he was a child as if it were yesterday.
3. 初次登台演出的紧张感，她至今记忆犹新。 She still remembers the nervousness of her first time performing onstage as if it just happened.

Usage Guide

Context: speeches, personal narrative, literature

Tone: reflective

Do Say

• 改革开放初期那段艰难而充满希望的岁月，对于亲历那个时代的一代人而言，至今仍是记忆犹新的集体情感坐标。(The difficult yet hope-filled years of the early reform and opening-up period remain vivid in the collective emotional memory of the generation that lived through that era.)
• 她在颁奖典礼上动情地回忆道，十五年前第一次踏上国际赛场时的紧张与兴奋，时至今日依然记忆犹新。(At the award ceremony she recalled with emotion that the nervousness and excitement of stepping onto the international stage for the first time fifteen years ago remains as vivid in her memory as ever.)

Don't Say

• 我很记忆犹新 — 记忆犹新 is a predicate idiom; say 这件事令我记忆犹新 or simply 至今记忆犹新, not 很/非常记忆犹新

Origin & History

记忆 (memory) + 犹 (still/as if) + 新 (new/fresh)

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal