📖 Meaning
Literally 'forever green through the ages.' It compares something to evergreen pines and cypresses that stay verdant across countless generations. It is used as a metaphor for a noble spirit or profound friendship that will never fade or disappear.
📜 Origin Story
The phrase traces back to Yuan dynasty drama, specifically the anonymous play 'Xie Jinwu' (谢金梧), where the fourth act speaks of being granted honors and fiefs to share in the eternal spring of the imperial house together. The imagery draws on the enduring green of pine and cypress trees, which remain verdant even in harsh winters. Over time it evolved into a metaphor for qualities—spiritual nobility, friendship, legacies—that endure unchanged through the ages.
💡 Example Usage
两国人民的友谊万古长青，历经风雨而不变。
The friendship between the peoples of the two nations is everlasting, enduring through wind and rain without change.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 万古长青
- Pinyin: wàn gǔ cháng qīng
- Literal Translation: ten thousand ages, forever, green, vibrant
- Category: Quality
- Characters: 4