永久

• Pinyin: yǒng jiǔ
• Hanzi breakdown: 永 = endless water flow (forever); 久 = person-from-behind pictograph (long duration)

Meaning

Permanent; lasting; perpetual. Describes something intended to endure indefinitely or without a fixed expiry.

More practical and institutional than 永恒 (eternal/timeless). Used for permanent residency, lasting agreements, long-term infrastructure, and durable rights. Common collocations: 永久居留权 (permanent residency), 永久性解决方案 (permanent solution), 永久禁赛 (lifetime ban), 永久保存 (to preserve permanently). Often used in legal and administrative language.

Examples

1. 联合国教科文组织审议该项目时，重点考察了政府的永久性制度安排，以保障遗址代代相传。 When UNESCO reviewed the project, it focused on the government's permanent institutional arrangements to ensure the site is protected from generation to generation.
2. 这位正式入籍的运动员说，获得永久定居并代表国家队参赛，是他多年努力的最大动力。 The athlete, now a naturalized citizen, said that gaining permanent settlement and competing for the national team were his greatest motivation after years of effort.
3. 数字档案管理最大的挑战，是让今天的文件即使技术迭代后仍可读可用，实现永久保存。 The biggest challenge in digital archiving is keeping today's files readable and usable even after technology changes, so they can be permanently preserved.

Usage Guide

Context: legal, administration, policy, infrastructure

Tone: neutral

Do Say

• 这家移民律所为客户提供从工签、绿卡到永久居留权的全流程服务，政策响应快是其核心优势。(This immigration law firm provides full-process services from work visas and green cards to permanent residency, and fast policy response is its core strength.)
• WTO争端解决机制本为贸易摩擦提供永久、规则化的平台，但近年大国单边主义抬头，令其面临严重危机。(The WTO dispute settlement mechanism was meant to provide a permanent, rules-based platform for trade disputes, but rising unilateralism among major powers has put it in serious crisis.)

Don't Say

• 我们的友谊是永久的 — while grammatically possible, 永久 sounds institutional and cold for describing friendship; use 永恒 or 长久 instead for emotional relationships; 永久 fits legal/administrative permanence better

Origin & History

永 (forever — endless water flow) + 久 (long time — pictograph of a person from behind, suggesting duration/long-lastingness)

Cultural Context

Era: Modern

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal