名留青史 (míng liú qīng shǐ) — to leave one's name in history; to be remembered in the annals of history

Definition

A formal, written chengyu meaning to be remembered in history for lasting achievements. Equivalent to 流芳百世 (positive) — its opposite is 遗臭万年 (infamy).

verb
to leave one's name in historyto be remembered in the annals of history

Examples

  • ，名留青史。
    Qín shǐ huáng tǒng yī zhōng guó, míng liú qīng shǐ.
    Qin Shi Huang unified China and left his name in history.
  • 名留青史。
    Ài yīn sī tǎn de xiāng duì lùn ràng tā míng liú qīng shǐ.
    Einstein's theory of relativity made him remembered in the annals of history.
  • ，名留青史。
    Yì shù jiā chuàng zuò chū wěi dà zuò pǐn, cái néng míng liú qīng shǐ.
    Only by creating great works can an artist be remembered in history.

Origin

Characters in this word

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

名 puts 夕 (crescent moon) above 口 (mouth), showing a name spoken in the dark.

Open 名 →

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
田田tiánfield
Sound part声符shēngfú
卯
卯mǎo留liú
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

留 combines 田 (field) with 卯, which gives the sound.

Open 留 →

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

An early form of 青 combined 生 and 井, both used for sound; the modern form has changed.

Open 青 →

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

The old drawing showed someone holding a flag-like or writing tool, indicating the act of recording events; the exact inner shape is unclear.

Open 史 →

Browse more HSK 7-9 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.