The Master stood on the banks of the river. "How it flows on, never creasing, night and day!"From The Analects of Confucius, An Online Teaching Translation Version 2.2 Indiana UniversityHow Confucius was affected by a running stream.The Master standing by a stream, said, "It passes on just like this, not ceasing day or night!"From Confucian Analects by James Legge 1893
這句話是有語境的。原文出自《論語·子罕》：「子在川上曰『逝者如斯夫！不捨晝夜』」直接翻譯成現代漢語就是孔子在河邊說「流逝的光陰就像這一樣啊，不分晝夜。」斯是代詞這，指江水。只是用的人比較多，漸漸地「逝者如斯」就成了表示時間流逝的成語。比如在蘇軾的《赤壁賦》中有這樣的話「逝者如斯，而未嘗往也；盈虛者如彼，而卒莫消長也。」所以直接翻譯「逝者如斯」是沒有意義的，外華人無法體會這裡面的意思。但是可以用英語中的習語 (idiom) "Time flies." 來翻譯，也是表示時間流逝的。或者，可以把把整句翻譯出來，附上幾個版本的翻譯
The Master stood on the banks of the river. "How it flows on, never creasing, night and day!"From The Analects of Confucius, An Online Teaching Translation Version 2.2 Indiana UniversityHow Confucius was affected by a running stream.The Master standing by a stream, said, "It passes on just like this, not ceasing day or night!"From Confucian Analects by James Legge 1893