永 yǒng forever
forever; eternal
How it came to be
A river with side streams branching off it, drawn long down the page. It is a river that goes on and on rather than a pool: length in time, taken straight from length in water.
How it is used
- Eternal / forever; bound - 永远 (yǒngyuǎn) forever, 永久 (yǒngjiǔ) permanent, 永恒 (yǒnghéng) eternal.
- 永远 is the everyday adverb: 我永远不会忘 (wǒ yǒngyuǎn bú huì wàng) I'll never forget.
- Strongly emphatic; not for ordinary 'always' (that's 总是).
Characters built with 永
Words with 永
Example sentences
- 我们一家人永远不分离。 Wǒmen yījiārén yǒngyuǎn bù fēnlí.Our family will never be separated.