壽比南山

Chinese

		(long) life	side by side; compare; to gesture side by side; compare; to gesture; than; ratio	Zhongnan Mountains
trad. (壽比南山)		壽	比	南山
simp. (寿比南山)		寿	比	南山
Literally: “[One's] life is as long-lasting as the Zhongnan Mountains”.

Etymology

From the Classic of Poetry, poem 166 (《詩經·小雅·天保》):

如南山之壽，不騫不崩。
如松柏之茂，無不爾或承。 [Pre-Classical Chinese, trad.]

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如南山之寿，不骞不崩。
如松柏之茂，无不尔或承。 [Pre-Classical Chinese, simp.]

From: The Classic of Poetry, c. 11^th – 7^th centuries BCE, translated based on James Legge's version

Rú nánshān zhī shòu, bù qiān bù bēng.
Rú sōngbǎi zhī mào, wú bù ěr huò chéng. [Pinyin]

Like the age of the southern hills, Never waning, never falling,
Like the luxuriance of the fir and the cypress; May such be thy succeeding line!

Pronunciation

• Mandarin

  (Pinyin): shòubǐnánshān

  (Zhuyin): ㄕㄡˋ ㄅㄧˇ ㄋㄢˊ ㄕㄢ

• Cantonese (Jyutping): sau⁶ bei² naam⁴ saan¹
• Hakka (Sixian, PFS): su-pí-nàm-sân
• Southern Min

  (Hokkien, POJ): siū-pí-lâm-san

  (Teochew, Peng'im): siu⁷ bi² nam⁵ suan¹

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• Mandarin
  • (Standard Chinese)⁺
    • Hanyu Pinyin: shòubǐnánshān
    • Zhuyin: ㄕㄡˋ ㄅㄧˇ ㄋㄢˊ ㄕㄢ
    • Tongyong Pinyin: shòubǐnánshan
    • Wade–Giles: shou⁴-pi³-nan²-shan¹
    • Yale: shòu-bǐ-nán-shān
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: showbiinanshan
    • Palladius: шоубинаньшань (šoubinanʹšanʹ)
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /ʂoʊ̯⁵¹ pi²¹⁴⁻²¹ nän³⁵ ʂän⁵⁵/
• Cantonese
  • (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)⁺
    • Jyutping: sau⁶ bei² naam⁴ saan¹
    • Yale: sauh béi nàahm sāan
    • Cantonese Pinyin: sau⁶ bei² naam⁴ saan¹
    • Guangdong Romanization: seo⁶ béi² nam⁴ san¹
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /sɐu̯²² pei̯³⁵ naːm²¹ saːn⁵⁵/
• Hakka
  • (Sixian, incl. Miaoli and Meinong)
    • Pha̍k-fa-sṳ: su-pí-nàm-sân
    • Hakka Romanization System: su bi` namˇ san´
    • Hagfa Pinyim: su⁴ bi³ nam² san¹
    • Sinological IPA: /su⁵⁵ pi³¹ nam¹¹ san²⁴/
• Southern Min
  • (Hokkien: General Taiwanese)
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī: siū-pí-lâm-san
    • Tâi-lô: siū-pí-lâm-san
    • Phofsit Daibuun: siuxpylamsafn
    • IPA (Taipei): /siu³³⁻¹¹ pi⁵³⁻⁴⁴ lam²⁴⁻¹¹ san⁴⁴/
    • IPA (Kaohsiung): /siu³³⁻²¹ pi⁴¹⁻⁴⁴ lam²³⁻³³ san⁴⁴/
  • (Teochew)
    • Peng'im: siu⁷ bi² nam⁵ suan¹
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī-like: siū pí nâm suaⁿ
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /siu¹¹ pi⁵²⁻³⁵ nam⁵⁵⁻¹¹ sũã³³/

Idiom

壽比南山

1. Long may you live!

Synonyms

• 福如東海，壽比南山／福如东海，寿比南山 (fúrúdōnghǎi, shòubǐnánshān)