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.]

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

(Hailu, HRS): shiu^˖ bi^ˊ nam san^ˋ
Southern Min
(Hokkien, POJ): siū-pí-lâm-san

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

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 Neipu)
  - Pha̍k-fa-sṳ: su-pí-nàm-sân
  - Hakka Romanization System: su bi^ˋ nam^ˇ san^ˊ
  - Hagfa Pinyim: su⁴ bi³ nam² san¹
  - Sinological IPA: /su⁵⁵ pi³¹ nam¹¹ san²⁴/
- (Hailu, incl. Zhudong)
  - Hakka Romanization System: shiu^˖ bi^ˊ nam san^ˋ
  - Sinological IPA: /ʃiu³³ pi²⁴⁻³³ nam⁵⁵ san⁵³/
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

Long may you live!

Synonyms

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