海枯石烂

Pronunciation: hǎi kū shí làn Literal meaning: Seas dry, stones rot

Origin & Usage

Seas (海) drying (枯) and stones (石) crumbling (烂). Both are chosen for being the slowest imaginable changes rather than impossible ones, which is where the scale comes from — this is deep time, not never. It lives inside oaths, in the form 海枯石烂不变心, unchanged until the seas dry and the stones crumble. Promises between lovers claim it almost exclusively, and it is old-fashioned enough now that saying it is usually a little self-aware.

Examples

English: "She promised to love him forever, no matter what happens."

Chinese: 她承诺无论发生什么，都会爱他到海枯石烂。