士别三日，当刮目相看

士别三日，当刮目相看

Literally means:

after three days of absence, the scholar has to be looked at with new eyes

Actually means:

士, a respectful form of address, refers to a person in general. 刮目, rubbing the eyes, means getting rid of the old idea and picking up a new one.

This phrase means that we should look at someone with new eyes if we haven not seen him/her for a couple of days. It implies that the person has changed and has made progress. It can also be used to ridicule somebody for his negative change.

士，对人的美称，泛指人。刮目，擦眼睛，表示去掉旧看法，换上新眼光。

士别三日，当刮目相看，跟人离别三天，就应该用新的眼光看他，形容人有进步，有变化，不能再用老眼光看他。也可用来讽刺不好的变化。