yuányuǎnliúcháng

源远流长

Word · Idiom

long history; distant source and long course

Tone colorsmāmámǎmàma

Meanings

2 senses · 7 examples
1.

idiom

(of a river) having a distant source and long course

Originally used to describe rivers with distant sources and long courses.

Cháng长
Jiāng江
shì是
yī一
tiáo条
yuán源
yuǎn远
liú流
cháng长
de的
dà大
hé河
 。

The Yangtze River is a great river with a distant source and long course.

Huáng黄
Hé河
yuán源
yuǎn远
liú流
cháng长
 ,
yùn孕
yù育
le了
Zhōng中
huá华
wén文
míng明
 。

The Yellow River has a long course and is the cradle of Chinese civilization.

Show 1 more example
Zhè这
tiáo条
yuán源
yuǎn远
liú流
cháng长
de的
dà大
hé河
zī滋
yǎng养
le着
yán沿
àn岸
de的
wú无
shù数
shēng生
líng灵
 。

This great river with its distant source and long course nourishes countless living beings along its banks.

2.

idiom

of long standing; time-honored; with a long history

formal

Metaphorically used to describe history, culture, traditions, or relationships that have existed for a long time.

Zhōng中
huá华
wén文
huà化
yuán源
yuǎn远
liú流
cháng长
 ,
bó博
dà大
jīng精
shēn深
 。

Chinese culture has a long history and is profound and extensive.

Liǎng两
guó国
rén人
mín民
de的
yǒu友
yì谊
yuán源
yuǎn远
liú流
cháng长
 。

The friendship between the two peoples has a long history.

Show 2 more examples
Zhōng中
guó国
de的
chá茶
wén文
huà化
yuán源
yuǎn远
liú流
cháng长
 ,
kě可
yǐ以
zhuī追
sù溯
dào到
jǐ几
qiān千
nián年
qián前
 。

China's tea culture has a long history, dating back thousands of years.

Zhè这
jiā家
bǎi百
nián年
lǎo老
diàn店
de的
lì历
shǐ史
yuán源
yuǎn远
liú流
cháng长
 。

This century-old shop has a long and storied history.