# 天長地久
## Chinese

| | | day; sky; heaven | long; length; foreverlong; length; forever; always; constantly; chief; head; elder; to grow; to develop | earth; ground; fieldearth; ground; field; place; land; (subor. part. adverbial); ‑ly | (long) time; (long) duration of time |
| trad. (天長地久) | trad. (天長地久) | 天 | 長 | 地 | 久 |
| simp. (天长地久) | simp. (天长地久) | 天 | 长 | 地 | 久 |
| alternative forms | alternative forms | 靝⿰萬丈埊⿰多年／靔⿰万丈埊⿰多年 | 靝⿰萬丈埊⿰多年／靔⿰万丈埊⿰多年 | 靝⿰萬丈埊⿰多年／靔⿰万丈埊⿰多年 | 靝⿰萬丈埊⿰多年／靔⿰万丈埊⿰多年 |
| anagram | anagram | 地久天長／地久天长 | 地久天長／地久天长 | 地久天長／地久天长 | 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, 4th century BCETiānchángdìjiǔ. 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): tin$^1$ coeng$^4$ dei$^6$ gau$^2$
* Southern Min
    (Hokkien, POJ): thian-tiông-tē-kiú / thian-tn̂g-tē-kiú
    (Teochew, Peng'im): tiang$^1$ ciang$^5$ di$^7$ gu$^2$
* Mandarin
** (Standard Chinese)
*** Hanyu Pinyin: tiānchángdìjiǔ
*** Zhuyin: ㄊㄧㄢ ㄔㄤˊ ㄉㄧˋ ㄐㄧㄡˇ
*** Tongyong Pinyin: tianchángdìjiǒu
*** Wade–Giles: tʻien$^1$-chʻang$^2$-ti$^4$-chiu$^3$
*** Yale: tyān-cháng-dì-jyǒu
*** Gwoyeu Romatzyh: tiancharngdihjeou
*** Palladius: тяньчандицзю (tjanʹčandiczju)
*** Sinological IPA : /tʰi̯ɛn⁵⁵ ʈ͡ʂʰɑŋ³⁵ ti⁵¹ t͡ɕi̯oʊ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹⁽⁴⁾/
* Cantonese
** (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)
*** Jyutping: tin$^1$ coeng$^4$ dei$^6$ gau$^2$
*** Yale: tīn chèuhng deih gáu
*** Cantonese Pinyin: tin$^1$ tsoeng$^4$ dei$^6$ gau$^2$
*** Guangdong Romanization: tin$^1$ cêng$^4$ déi$^6$ geo$^2$
*** Sinological IPA : /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: tiang$^1$ ciang$^5$ di$^7$ gu$^2$
*** Pe̍h-ōe-jī-like: thiang tshiâng tī kú
*** Sinological IPA : /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/ | /diɪ$^H$/ | /kɨu$^X$/ |
| Pan Wuyun | /tʰen/ | /ɖiɐŋ/ | /di$^H$/ | /kiu$^X$/ |
| Shao Rongfen | /tʰɛn/ | /ȡiɑŋ/ | /djɪ$^H$/ | /kiəu$^X$/ |
| Edwin Pulleyblank | /tʰɛn/ | /ɖɨaŋ/ | /di$^H$/ | /kuw$^X$/ |
| Li Rong | /tʰen/ | /ȡiaŋ/ | /di$^H$/ | /kiu$^X$/ |
| Wang Li | /tʰien/ | /ȡĭaŋ/ | /di$^H$/ | /kĭəu$^X$/ |
| Bernard Karlgren | /tʰien/ | /ȡʱi̯aŋ/ | /dʱi$^H$/ | /ki̯ə̯u$^X$/ |
| Expected Mandarin Reflex | tiān | cháng | dì | jiǔ |
| Expected Cantonese Reflex | tin$^1$ | coeng$^4$ | dei$^6$ | gau$^2$ |

### Idiom

天長地久
* enduring as the universe; everlasting and unchanging
    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

* → 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)
* continuing unchanged as long as there has been heaven and earth