# 永垂不朽

yǒng chuí bù xiǔ

Be remembered with lasting honor

## Meaning & wording

**Literally:** Remain forever without decay

**Register:** Solemn · literary

[Change & possibility](https://chinese-idioms.yudis.dev/idioms/topics/change)

## When to use it

Praise a legacy that deserves enduring remembrance.

Solemn and often commemorative, not casual everyday praise.

## Understanding the expression

Physical things decay, but memory and influence can outlast the life of the person who created them. The expression offers elevated praise for a lasting moral, cultural, or historical legacy. It often appears in memorials and tributes rather than ordinary congratulations. The claim is idealizing: it expresses a wish or conviction that future generations will continue to honor the contribution. Use it where the scale and solemnity fit the subject.

## Examples

他们的牺牲将永垂不朽。

### Traditional Chinese

他們的犧牲將永垂不朽。

tā men de xī shēng jiāng yǒng chuí bù xiǔ 。

Their sacrifice will be honored forever.

纪念碑上写着英雄永垂不朽。

### Traditional Chinese

紀念碑上寫著英雄永垂不朽。

jì niàn bēi shàng xiě zhe yīng xióng yǒng chuí bù xiǔ 。

The monument says the heroes will be remembered forever.

她的作品让那段精神永垂不朽。

### Traditional Chinese

她的作品讓那段精神永垂不朽。

tā de zuò pǐn ràng nà duàn jīng shén yǒng chuí bù xiǔ 。

Her works preserve that spirit for posterity.

这位先驱的贡献在人们心中永垂不朽。

### Traditional Chinese

這位先驅的貢獻在人們心中永垂不朽。

zhè wèi xiān qū de gòng xiàn zài rén men xīn zhōng yǒng chuí bù xiǔ 。

The pioneer's contribution lives enduringly in people's memory.

## Sources & reference checks

Original explanations and examples from Chinese Idioms Almanac. Source-checked October 6, 2026.

- [CC-CEDICT · forms & pronunciation](https://www.mdbg.net/chinese/dictionary?page=worddict&wdqb=%E6%B0%B8%E5%9E%82%E4%B8%8D%E6%9C%BD)

- [Ministry of Education · 成語典](https://dict.idioms.moe.edu.tw/idiomView.jsp?ID=489&webMd=1&la=0)

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