TongTong
Sign in

永远 (yǒng yuǎn) — (adverb) forever, always; (noun) eternity, perpetuity

Definition

永远 means 'forever / always' and modifies verbs (永远相信) or acts as a noun (the 'forever'). 永恒 and 永久 describe lasting qualities of things; 始终 is closer but focuses on 'from start to end.'

adverb
foreveralways
noun
eternityperpetuity

Examples

  • 永远。
    Wǒ yǒng yuǎn xiāng xìn nǐ huì chéng gōng.
    I will always believe you will succeed.
  • 永远。
    Tā yǒng yuǎn bú huì lí kāi zhè ge chéng shì.
    He will never leave this city.
  • 永远。
    Xī wàng wǒ men yǒng yuǎn kuài lè.
    I hope we are happy forever.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

Two parts of equal weight, alike or opposite in meaning, standing side by side.

永yǒngeternal
远yuǎnfar

永 and 远 extend one another, giving the sense of endless distance in time.

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 →

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
辶Written in full as辵chuòwalk
Sound part声符shēngfú
元
元yuán远yuǎn
Same sound today

远 combines 辶, meaning walk, with 元, used for its sound.

Open 远 →

Grammar

Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 4500 Most Frequent Chinese WordsHSK 2.0 Level 41000 Most Frequent Chinese WordsTime (Abstract)2000 Most Frequent Chinese Words

Browse more HSK 4 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.