表达 “like ships that pass in the night” 用来形容 “两个人在为数不多的短暂碰面之后，再也无缘相见”，就好比夜晚交错而过的两只船一样。人们也会用这个表达来感叹 “似乎总是与某人擦肩而过”，比如，两个家庭成员总是没有机会在同一时间出现在同一地点。
这个表达也可以被简略地说成 “like ships in the night”，意思相同。

例句
I met Renard on the train to work, and we became friends right away. Sadly, I’ve never seen him again. We are like ships that pass in the night.
我在上班的火车上遇见了雷纳德，我们很快就成为了朋友。但很遗憾，后来我再也没有见过他。我们只有一面之缘。

It’s nice to see you again! We’ve been like ships that pass in the night – always missing each other.
很高兴再次见到你！我们之前总是和对方失之交臂，碰不到一起。

I rarely see my wife. She goes to work as I’m arriving home. We’re like ships in the night.
我很难见到我的妻子。当我回到家时，她正要去上班。我俩总是擦肩而过。