往事

• Pinyin: wǎng shì
• Hanzi breakdown: 往 = 彳(step) + 主 (phonetic) — to go, past; 事 = pictograph of a hand holding a flag/tool — affair, matter

Meaning

Past events; bygone affairs; things of the past. Memories or occurrences from earlier times.

A common, slightly literary term for events that happened in the past — especially those remembered with emotion. Often appears in reflective or nostalgic contexts. 往事 implies the events are no longer happening but are remembered. Common in literature, memoirs, and reflective speech.

Examples

1. 每逢节日，老人总喜欢跟孩子们讲述往事，回忆当年的峥嵘岁月。 On every holiday the old man likes to tell the children about past events, reminiscing about the turbulent years of his youth.
2. 往事历历在目，但那段岁月已经永远地成为历史。 Past events are vivid in the mind's eye, but those times have become history forever.
3. 她不愿再提及那段往事，那是她心中最深的一道伤痕。 She refuses to bring up that period of the past again — it is the deepest wound in her heart.

Usage Guide

Context: nostalgia, memoir, reflection

Tone: nostalgic

Do Say

• 往事不堪回首，但它让我变得更加坚强。(The past is hard to look back on, but it has made me stronger.)
• 他喜欢在深夜独坐，沉浸在往事的回忆中。(He likes to sit alone late at night, immersed in memories of the past.)

Don't Say

• 用往事表示即将发生或正在进行的事情 — 往事 is exclusively about things that have already happened; use 事情 or 近况 for current or future matters

Origin & History

Compound of 往 (past, former) and 事 (matter, affair). Literally 'matters of the past' — past events or bygone affairs.

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal