五世其昌 — “May one's descendants flourish and prosper for five generations”

五世其昌 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “May one's descendants flourish and prosper for five generations”. A traditional blessing, especially for newlyweds, wishing them a long and prosperous family line. Literally, “Prosperity for five generations”.

Frequency

五世其昌 Pronunciation and Pinyin

五世其昌 Character Breakdown

Stroke Order

Character	Pinyin	Strokes	Meaning
五	wǔ	4	the number five
世	shì	5	world, generation, era
其	qí	8	its, his, her, their
昌	chāng	8	flourish, proper speech

Example Sentence with 五世其昌

在新婚的喜宴上，长辈们举杯祝福这对新人，希望他们未来生活美满，五世其昌。

At the wedding banquet, the elders raised their glasses to bless the newlyweds, wishing them a happy life and prosperity for five generations.

Origin and Story of 五世其昌

During the Spring and Autumn period, the State of Chen experienced internal turmoil, leading to the killing of Prince Yukou. Duke Jingzhong, a member of the royal family, fled to the State of Qi.

Grand Master Yizhong of Qi intended to marry his daughter to Jingzhong. Before the marriage, Yizhong's wife consulted an oracle.

The divination indicated that Chen's descendants in Qi would flourish and prosper significantly by the fifth generation, achieving a status as high as a chief minister.

Following this favorable prophecy, the marriage proceeded. True to the prediction, Jingzhong's fifth-generation descendant, Chen Huanzi, rose to become a high-ranking official in Qi.

Later, his eighth-generation descendant, Chen Chengzi, ultimately gained control of Qi's political power.