| 短命 | duǎn mìng | to die young / short-lived |   |
| 昙花一现 | tán huā yī xiàn | lit. the night-blooming cactus shows once / flash in the pan (idiom) / short-lived | |
| 春梦 | chūn mèng | spring dream / short-lived illusion / erotic dream | |
| 烜赫一时 | xuǎn hè yī shí | to enjoy a short-lived fame or position of power | |
| 露水夫妻 | lù shuǐ fū qī | a couple in a short-lived, improper relationship | |
| 露水姻缘 | lù shuǐ yīn yuán | casual romance / short-lived relationship | |
| 中国新民党 | Zhōng guó Xīn mín dǎng | New Democracy Party of China, a short-lived party founded in 2007 by human rights activist Guo Quan, who was jailed in 2009 | |
| 大东亚共荣圈 | Dà Dōng yà Gòng róng quān | Great East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere, Japanese wartime slogan for their short-lived Pacific Empire, first enunciated by Prime Minister Prince KONOE Fumimaro 近衛文麿|近卫文麿 / in 1938 | |
| 蟪蛄不知春秋 | huì gū bù zhī chūn qiū | lit. short-lived cicada does not know the seasons / fig. to see only a small piece of the big picture | |
