天長地久
See also: 天长地久
Chinese
| day; sky; heaven | long; length; forever long; length; forever; always; constantly; chief; head; elder; to grow; to develop |
earth; ground; field earth; ground; field; place; land; (subor. part. adverbial); ‑ly |
(long) time; (long) duration of time | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| trad. (天長地久) | 天 | 長 | 地 | 久 | |
| simp. (天长地久) | 天 | 长 | 地 | 久 | |
| alternative forms | 靝⿰萬丈埊⿰多年／靔⿰万丈埊⿰多年 | ||||
| anagram | 地久天長／地久天长 | ||||
Etymology
From Tao Te Ching:
- 天長地久。天地所以能長且久者，以其不自生，故能長生。 [Traditional Chinese poetry, trad.]
- From: Tao Te Ching, 4th century BCE
- Tiānchángdìjiǔ. Tiāndì suǒyǐ néng cháng qiě jiǔ zhě, yǐ qí bù zìshēng, gù néng chángshēng. [Pinyin]
- Heaven is long-enduring and earth continues long. The reason why heaven and earth are able to endure and continue thus long is because they do not live of, or for, themselves. This is how they are able to continue and endure.
天长地久。天地所以能长且久者，以其不自生，故能长生。 [Traditional Chinese poetry, simp.]
Pronunciation
- Mandarin
- (Pinyin): tiānchángdìjiǔ
- (Zhuyin): ㄊㄧㄢ ㄔㄤˊ ㄉㄧˋ ㄐㄧㄡˇ
- Cantonese (Jyutping): tin1 coeng4 dei6 gau2
- Southern Min
- Mandarin
- (Standard Chinese)+
- Hanyu Pinyin: tiānchángdìjiǔ
- Zhuyin: ㄊㄧㄢ ㄔㄤˊ ㄉㄧˋ ㄐㄧㄡˇ
- Tongyong Pinyin: tianchángdìjiǒu
- Wade–Giles: tʻien1-chʻang2-ti4-chiu3
- Yale: tyān-cháng-dì-jyǒu
- Gwoyeu Romatzyh: tiancharngdihjeou
- Palladius: тяньчандицзю (tjanʹčandiczju)
- Sinological IPA (key): /tʰi̯ɛn⁵⁵ ʈ͡ʂʰɑŋ³⁵ ti⁵¹ t͡ɕi̯oʊ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹⁽⁴⁾/
- (Standard Chinese)+
- Cantonese
- (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)+
- Jyutping: tin1 coeng4 dei6 gau2
- Yale: tīn chèuhng deih gáu
- Cantonese Pinyin: tin1 tsoeng4 dei6 gau2
- Guangdong Romanization: tin1 cêng4 déi6 geo2
- Sinological IPA (key): /tʰiːn⁵⁵ t͡sʰœːŋ²¹ tei̯²² kɐu̯³⁵/
- (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)+
- Southern Min
- (Hokkien: Xiamen, Quanzhou, General Taiwanese)
- Pe̍h-ōe-jī: thian-tiông-tē-kiú
- Tâi-lô: thian-tiông-tē-kiú
- Phofsit Daibuun: tiendiongdexkiuo
- IPA (Xiamen): /tʰiɛn⁴⁴⁻²² tiɔŋ²⁴⁻²² te²²⁻²¹ kiu⁵³/
- IPA (Kaohsiung): /tʰiɛn⁴⁴⁻³³ tiɔŋ²³⁻³³ te³³⁻²¹ kiu⁴¹/
- IPA (Quanzhou): /tʰiɛn³³ tiɔŋ²⁴⁻²² te⁴¹⁻²² kiu⁵⁵⁴/
- IPA (Taipei): /tʰiɛn⁴⁴⁻³³ tiɔŋ²⁴⁻¹¹ te³³⁻¹¹ kiu⁵³/
- (Hokkien: variant in Taiwan)
- Pe̍h-ōe-jī: thian-tn̂g-tē-kiú
- Tâi-lô: thian-tn̂g-tē-kiú
- Phofsit Daibuun: tiend'ngdexkiuo
- IPA (Kaohsiung): /tʰiɛn⁴⁴⁻³³ tŋ̍²³⁻³³ te³³⁻²¹ kiu⁴¹/
- IPA (Taipei): /tʰiɛn⁴⁴⁻³³ tŋ̍²⁴⁻¹¹ te³³⁻¹¹ kiu⁵³/
- (Teochew)
- Peng'im: tiang1 ciang5 di7 gu2
- Pe̍h-ōe-jī-like: thiang tshiâng tī kú
- Sinological IPA (key): /tʰiaŋ³³⁻²³ t͡sʰiaŋ⁵⁵ ti¹¹ ku⁵²/
- (Hokkien: Xiamen, Quanzhou, General Taiwanese)
- Middle Chinese: then drjang dijH kjuwX
Idiom
天長地久
- enduring as the universe; everlasting and unchanging
- 天長地久有時盡，此恨綿綿無絕期。 [Classical Chinese, trad.]
- From: 806: 白居易 (Bai Juyi), 長恨歌 ("Song of Everlasting Regret")
- Tiānchángdìjiǔ yǒu shí jìn, cǐ hèn miánmián wú jué qī. [Pinyin]
- As long as the universe lasts, and until time stops for good, the regret of our parting will continue without end.
天长地久有时尽，此恨绵绵无绝期。 [Classical Chinese, simp.]
Derived terms
Descendants
Sino-Xenic (天長地久):
Japanese
| Kanji in this term | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| 天 | 長 | 地 | 久 |
| てん Grade: 1 |
ちょう Grade: 2 |
ち Grade: 2 |
きゅう Grade: 5 |
| on'yomi | |||
Noun
天長地久 • (tenchō chikyū)
- continuing unchanged as long as there has been heaven and earth