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永世 (yǒng shì) — forever; one's whole lifetime

Definition

Literary/emphatic way to say 'forever, for all time,' stronger and more formal than the more common 永远. Often used in fixed phrases like 永世不忘 or 永世难忘.

noun
foreverone's whole lifetime

Examples

  • 永世。
    Wǒ huì yǒng shì bú wàng nǐ de ēn qíng.
    I will never forget your kindness for my whole life.
  • 永世。
    Zhè cì lǚ xíng gěi wǒ liú xià le yǒng shì nán wàng de yìn xiàng.
    This trip left an unforgettable impression on me.
  • 永世。
    Tā de míng shēng huì liú chuán yǒng shì.
    His reputation will be passed down for all time.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
偏正piānzhèngModifier + head

The first part narrows down the second: it says what kind of thing the head is.

永yǒngeternal
世shìlifetime

永 means eternal and 世 means world or lifetime, so it means forever.

Characters in this word

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

The shape of 永 was drawn as a long river with side streams, or as a person swimming in water.

Open 永 →

No reliable origin is recorded for this character.

Open 世 →
Appears in
Time (Abstract)

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