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。 [Classical Chinese, trad.]

---

天长地久。天地所以能长且久者，以其不自生，故能长生。 [Classical Chinese, simp.]

From: Tao Te Ching, 4^th 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.

Pronunciation

• Mandarin

  (Pinyin): tiānchángdìjiǔ

  (Zhuyin): ㄊㄧㄢ ㄔㄤˊ ㄉㄧˋ ㄐㄧㄡˇ

• Cantonese (Jyutping): tin¹ coeng⁴ dei⁶ gau²
• Southern Min

  (Hokkien, POJ): thian-tiông-tē-kiú / thian-tn̂g-tē-kiú

  (Teochew, Peng'im): tiang¹ ciang⁵ di⁷ gu²

---

• 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⁾/
• 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/
• 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/

---

• Middle Chinese: then drjang dijH kjuwX

Rime
Character	天	長	地	久
Reading #	1/1	1/3	1/1	1/1
Initial (聲)	透 (6)	澄 (11)	定 (7)	見 (28)
Final (韻)	先 (85)	陽 (105)	脂 (15)	尤 (136)
Tone (調)	Level (Ø)	Level (Ø)	Departing (H)	Rising (X)
Openness (開合)	Open	Open	Open	Open
Division (等)	IV	III	III	III
Fanqie	他前切	直良切	徒四切	舉有切
Baxter	then	drjang	dijH	kjuwX
Reconstructions
Zhengzhang Shangfang	/tʰen/	/ɖɨɐŋ/	/diɪH/	/kɨuX/
Pan Wuyun	/tʰen/	/ɖiɐŋ/	/diH/	/kiuX/
Shao Rongfen	/tʰɛn/	/ȡiɑŋ/	/djɪH/	/kiəuX/
Edwin Pulleyblank	/tʰɛn/	/ɖɨaŋ/	/diH/	/kuwX/
Li Rong	/tʰen/	/ȡiaŋ/	/diH/	/kiuX/
Wang Li	/tʰien/	/ȡĭaŋ/	/diH/	/kĭəuX/
Bernard Karlgren	/tʰien/	/ȡʱi̯aŋ/	/dʱiH/	/ki̯ə̯uX/
Expected Mandarin Reflex	tiān	cháng	dì	jiǔ
Expected Cantonese Reflex	tin1	coeng4	dei6	gau2

Idiom

天長地久

1. enduring as the universe; everlasting and unchanging

   • 天長地久有時盡，此恨綿綿無絕期。 [Classical Chinese, trad.]
     天长地久有时尽，此恨绵绵无绝期。 [Classical Chinese, simp.]

     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.

Derived terms

• 天長節／天长节 (tiānchángjié)

Descendants

Sino-Xenic (天長地久):

• → Japanese: 天(てん)長地(ちょうち)久(きゅう) (tenchō chikyū)
• → Korean: 천장지구(天長地久) (cheonjangjigu)
• → Vietnamese: thiên trường địa cửu (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(てん)長(ちょう)地(ち)久(きゅう) • (tenchō chikyū) 

1. continuing unchanged as long as there has been heaven and earth