wàn万shòu寿wú无jiāng疆
To have a boundless and endless life; to wish someone eternal longevity or a very long life.
Era:
Ancient
Frequency:
Synonym:
Story:
The Classic of Poetry (Shijing), China's earliest anthology of poems, contains descriptions of the lives of serfs.
These serfs toiled all year round, living a life of hunger and cold. Meanwhile, their masters led a life of luxury and revelry every day.
Every year, the masters would hold year-end banquets, slaughtering pigs and sheep. They would ascend to the ancestral hall, raise their wine cups, and toast each other with 'Wànshòu Wújiāng' (May you live for ten thousand years without boundaries).