长生不老 Chángshēng bù lǎo Immortality

Explanation

指人追求永远生存,永葆青春的愿望。也指永远活着,不衰老。

Refers to people's desire for eternal life and eternal youth. It also refers to living forever and not aging.

Origin Story

话说汉武帝时期,丞相刘安醉心于神仙方术,一心想求得长生不老之术,他广招天下能人异士,希望他们能为他炼制出长生不老的仙丹。一天,一个蓬头垢面、衣衫褴褛的老者来到淮南王府,自称掌握了长生不老的秘诀。刘安半信半疑,请他详细说明。老者神秘地一笑,从怀中掏出一枚闪闪发光的丹药,说道:"此乃我潜心修炼多年所炼成的‘长生丹’,服用后便可青春永驻,长生不老。"刘安大喜过望,迫不及待地吞服了丹药。然而,事与愿违,他并没有获得长生不老,反而在不久之后便去世了。这个故事告诉我们,长生不老只是人们美好的愿望,现实生活中是不可能实现的。

shuō huà hàn wǔ dì shíqī, chéngxiàng liú ān zuìxīn yú shénxiān fāngshù, yīxīn xiǎng qiú de chángshēng bù lǎo zhī shù, tā guǎng zhāo tiānxià néng rén yìshì, xīwàng tāmen néng wèi tā liàn zhì chū chángshēng bù lǎo de xiāndān. yī tiān, yīgè péngtóu gòumiàn, yīsān lánlǚ de lǎozhě lái dào huáinán wángfǔ, zì chēng zhǎngwò le chángshēng bù lǎo de mìjué. liú ān bàn xìn bǎnyí, qǐng tā xiángxì shuōmíng. lǎozhě shénmì de yīxiào, cóng huái zhōng tāo chū yī méi shǎnshǎn fā guāng de dānyào, shuō dào: "cǐ nǎi wǒ qiányīn xiūliàn duō nián suǒ liàn chéng de ‘chángshēng dān’, fúyòng hòu biàn kě qīngchūn yǒng zhù, chángshēng bù lǎo." liú ān dà xǐ guòmàng, pòbùjídài de tūnfú le dānyào. rán'ér, shì yǔ yuánwéi, tā bìng méiyǒu huòdé chángshēng bù lǎo, fǎn'ér zài bùjiǔ zhī hòu biàn qùshì le. zhège gùshì gàosù wǒmen, chángshēng bù lǎo zhǐshì rénmen měihǎo de yuànwàng, xiànshí shēnghuó zhōng shì bù kěnéng shíxiàn de.

It is said that during the reign of Emperor Han Wudi, Prime Minister Liu An was deeply involved in the art of alchemy and desperately sought the elixir of immortality. He invited many talented and unusual people, hoping that they could brew the elixir of immortality for him. One day, a dirty, ragged old man came to the Huainan Prince's Mansion and claimed to know the secret of immortality. Liu An was dubious, but asked him to explain it in detail. The old man smiled mysteriously, took out a glittering pill from his sleeve, and said, "This is the 'Immortality Pill' that I have carefully cultivated for many years. If you take it, you can stay young and immortal forever." Liu An was overjoyed and immediately took the pill. However, contrary to expectations, he did not obtain immortality but died shortly afterwards. This story teaches us that immortality is only a beautiful wish that cannot be realized in real life.

Usage

用于表达对长寿的祝愿或对追求长生不老的讽刺。

yongyu biaoda dui changshou de zhuyuan huo dui zhuqiu changshengbulao de fengci.

Used to express wishes for longevity or to satirize the pursuit of immortality.

Examples

  • 他痴迷于长生不老的幻想,最终一无所获。

    ta chimi yu changshengbulao de huanxiang, zhongyu yiwusuohuo.

    He was obsessed with the fantasy of immortality, and finally gained nothing.

  • 道家追求长生不老,炼丹修道。

    daojia zhuqiu changshengbulao, liandan xiudao

    Taoism pursued immortality through alchemy and meditation.