Ten thousand years
The phrase
"ten thousand years", or
"wànsuì" , was used to bless the emperors in
East Asia in the ancient time. The phrase was originated in
ancient China, where it was customary to pay respects to the
Emperor by repeating the phase for multiple times, like "
Wú huáng wànsuì, wànsuì, wànwànsuì" (
吾皇萬歲，萬歲，萬萬歲, literally "May my Emperor [live and reign for] ten thousands years, ten thousand years, ten thousand of ten thousands years"). It is usually translated into English as "Long live!" although it has historical connotations that are not present in the English phrase. "
Ten thousand" in
Chinese numerals has a connotation of
infinity, innumerability, similar to the Greek
myriad .
Although it was once used casually like "Cheers to your health", it came to be used to exclusively address the emperor during the
Tang Dynasty. It became a prayer for the emperor's long life and reign.
In later Imperial history, using it to address someone other than the emperor was considered an act of sedition and consequently highly dangerous. During the
Ming Dynasty, especially during the reign of weak emperors (such as the
Tianqi emperor), powerful
eunuchs such as
Liu Jin and
Wei Zhongxian took the title
"ji" qiān suì" (
九千歲, literally "9000 years"), to display their high position, which was close to the emperor. In fact, their powers often exceeded those of the emperor, and it was these eunuchs who ran state affairs.
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Very big "Long live Chairman Mao" at |
Modern use
In modern times the term is posted on the gates of the
Forbidden City , i.e. the
Tiananmen, in which there are large signs which read
"Zhōnghuá Rénmín Gònghéguó wànsuì"(Traditional Chinese:
中華人民共'國萬歲; Simplified Chinese:
中华人民共'国万岁, literally "Long live the People's Republic of China") and
"Shìjiè rénmín dàtuánjié wànsuì "(Traditional Chinese:
世界人民大團結萬歲; Simplified Chinese:
世界人民大团"万岁,literally "Long live the
Great Unity of the world's people"). During the
Cultural Revolution, the saying
"Máo Zhǔxí wànsuì!" (Traditional Chinese:
毛主席萬歲; Simplified Chinese:
毛主席万岁, literally "Long live Chairman Mao!") was commonly used to toast
Mao Zedong . Apart from these special cases, the phrase is almost never used in political slogans today. In casual conversation, however, the phrase is used simply as an exclamation of joy.
The Chinese term was introduced to
Japan as
banzei (Kana:
ば"ぜい) in the
8th century. It expressed respect for the
emperor in Japan as well.
Banzei was revived as
banzai after the
Meiji Restoration.
Banzai as a formal ritual was established in the promulgation of the
Meiji Constitution in 1889 when university students shouted
banzai in front of the emperor's carriage.
During
WWII,
banzai became the warcry of sorts for Japanese soldiers, with
kamikaze pilots reportedly shouting
banzai as they rammed their planes into enemy ships.
At the same time,
banzai also came to be used unrelated to the emperor. The supporters of freedom and people's rights movements began to shout
"Jiyū banzai" (Kanji:
自由万歳; Kana:
じゆうば"ざい, literally "Long Live Freedom") in 1883. Today
banzai has become a word of congratulation.
The same term is pronounced
manse in
Korean. In
Silla of the
Three Kingdoms of Korea, it was used as a casual exclamation. It was a part of the
era name of
Taebong, one of the
Later Three Kingdoms, declared by the king
Gung Ye in 911. During the
Joseon dynasty, Korea used
cheonse (Hanja:
千歲; Hangul:
천세, literally "one thousand years") in deference to the Chinese emperor.
In the 20th century, various protests against
Japanese occupation used the term in their names, including a pro-independence newspaper established in 1906, the
March 1st Movement of 1919, and the June 10th Movement of 1926.
*"To chant 'Long live!' is to contradict natural laws. Everyone has to die sooner or later, whether they be killed by germs, crushed by a collapsing house, or blown to smithereens by an atom bomb. Anyway, one way or another everyone ends up dead. After people die they shouldn't be allowed to occupy any more space. They should be cremated. I'll take the lead. We should all be burnt after we die, turned into ashes and used for fertilizer." —
Mao Zedong, in comments made when signing "A Proposal that all Central Leaders be Cremated after Death" in November 1956. Ironically, he was preserved and
put on display when he died.
*
Sto lat, a similar Polish phrase and song meaning "one hundred years"
