Proverb: "have fate without destiny"

I was looking for an English equivalent of the Chinese proverb (有缘无分) which describes couples who meet but who do not for whatever reason stay together.

My friend (native speaker, no Chinese backgroud) suggested "have fate without destiny". I am half contented with and half confused with this suggestion.

It seems to make perfect sense while I can't figure out the subtle difference of "fate" vs. "destiny" in this context.

And, why not "have destiny without fate" instead of "have fate without destiny"?

Solution 1:

I don't know of a proverb but you could call them star-crossed lovers, meaning:

a pair whose relationship is thwarted by outside forces

From Romeo & Juliet

From forth the fatal loins of these two foes,
A pair of star-cross'd lovers take their life

Solution 2:

It's probably not as poetic as the Chinese, but you can find this quote floating (unattributed) around the Web:

Some people are fated to meet each other, but not destined to be together.

Solution 3:

OP doesn't really give us enough context here. I don't think fate without destiny really means anything at all, and it's certainly not an idiom. But how about...

ships that pass in the night - people who meet for a brief but intense moment and then part, never to see each other again. Like two ships that greet each other with flashing lights and then sail off into the night. From a poem by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow.