相见不如相念相念不如相见
[xiāng jiàn bù rú xiāng niàn xiāng niàn bù rú xiāng jiàn]
A paradoxical statement, which can be translated as 'meeting is not as good as missing each other; missing each other is not as good as meeting'. This suggests a bittersweet feeling regarding relationships and meetings: Sometimes the anticipation of something may surpass its realization; alternatively, it emphasizes the depth of yearning in absence versus physical presence.