经久不息
jīngjiǔbuxī · HSK 7
Last forever
👏♾️ 经久 = long-lasting + 不息 = never ceasing; applause that just keeps going
Four parts: 经 pass-through, 久 a long time, 不 not, 息 to cease. Together they mean something endures on and on without stopping. Classic use is 掌声经久不息 for applause that refuses to die down.
经 — silk radical 纟 + 巠 (underground stream)
Originally written 經, combining the silk radical 糸 with 巠, depicting vertical threads on a loom. The core meaning was 'warp threads,' which extended to 'pass through,' 'classic text,' and 'manage.' The phonetic 巠 also suggests the sound.
久 — person 人 with a stroke marking the back
Originally a pictograph showing a person from behind with a mark indicating moxibustion treatment applied to the back, the original sense of 'cauterize' (now written 灸). It was borrowed phonetically to mean 'long time' or 'enduring,' which became its standard meaning.
不 — single pictograph; bird flying upward
Originally a pictograph in oracle bone script, traditionally interpreted as a bird flying up toward the sky and unable to come down, suggesting negation or refusal. Over time it became the standard negation word in Chinese, used before verbs and adjectives to mean 'not'.