天长地久
- Literal
- heaven is long, earth is lasting
- Figurative
- Lasting as long as heaven and earth; it is usually wished on a love or a friendship, and is sometimes said with a skeptical edge.
Where does 天长地久 come from?
It comes from chapter seven of the Laozi (Daodejing): "Heaven is long and earth is lasting. They can endure so long because they do not live for themselves; that is why they can live long." Laozi used the permanence of heaven and earth to teach that the sage puts himself last and for that very reason ends up first. In later poetry the phrase moved into the realm of love: Bai Juyi's "Song of Everlasting Sorrow" ends by saying that even heaven and earth will one day come to an end, but that grief will never cease. Today it is the standard phrase of wedding toasts and lovers' vows.
Source (出处): 《老子》
How is 天长地久 used? Two examples
- 婚礼上，大家都祝他们的爱情天长地久。
At the wedding, everyone wished them a love that would last forever.
- 才认识三天就说要天长地久，我可不信。
They met three days ago and they're already talking about forever? I'm not buying it.
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