May we all be blessed with longevity, though...

May we all be blessed with longevity, though thousands of miles apart, we are still able to share the beauty of the moon together.
但愿人长久，千里共婵娟。

Background

This line comes from Su Shi's 'Prelude to Water Melody' written on the Mid-Autumn night of 1076 in Mizhou. At that time, Su Shi had not seen his younger brother Su Zhe for seven years. While drinking and gazing at the full moon during the Mid-Autumn Festival, he missed his family and composed this lyric after getting drunk. The preface states: 'On the Mid-Autumn of Bingchen year, drinking happily until dawn, thoroughly drunk, I wrote this piece, also thinking of Ziyou (Su Zhe).'

Interpretation

This line expresses Su Shi's most sincere wishes for his loved ones: hoping that all people in the world can live in peace and health with longevity. Even if separated by thousands of miles, they can still appreciate the beauty of the moon together and feel each other's longing. 'Chanjuan' refers to the moon, symbolizing beauty, perfection, and purity. By sharing the bright moon as an image, it connects the hearts of family members separated by great distance, embodying the profound Chinese cultural sentiment of 'sharing the bright moon across thousands of miles.'

Historical & Cultural Background

Historical Context

During the Xining era of the Northern Song Dynasty, Wang Anshi's reforms triggered fierce factional disputes. Due to different political views, Su Shi requested to be assigned to provincial posts. In 1074 he served as vice prefect of Hangzhou, and in 1076 was transferred to Mizhou (modern Zhucheng, Shandong). At that time, the Song territory was vast and transportation was inconvenient - officials assigned to provinces often couldn't return home for years. Su Shi and his brother Su Zhe had been deeply close since childhood, and having been separated for seven years, plus political frustrations, the full moon at Mid-Autumn when family should be reunited only deepened his feelings of separation and longing.

Cultural Significance

This line has become the highest model in Chinese culture for expressing longing and missing loved ones, transcending personal emotions to become beautiful wishes for all humanity. 'Sharing the moon across thousands of miles' embodies the unique Chinese concept of space and emotional expression - transcending physical distance through sharing natural imagery. Together with lines like 'Missing family more during festivals' and 'The bright moon rises from the sea, we share this moment though far apart,' it forms the classic discourse system for Chinese people to express longing, and remains the most commonly used blessing during the Mid-Autumn Festival.

Multi-Dimensional Analysis

Philosophical Analysis

This line embodies Su Shi's philosophical thought of 'unity between heaven and humanity,' elevating personal emotions to cosmic sentiment. From the temporal dimension, 'longevity' transcends finite life, embodying the yearning for eternity; from the spatial dimension, 'thousands of miles' is transcended by the bright moon, embodying a cosmic view of 'all things as one.' Deeply influenced by Buddhist and Daoist thought, this line contains both Confucian benevolent spirit (caring for all people in the world), Daoist natural philosophy (using the bright moon as medium), and Buddhist compassionate sentiment (wishing for universal salvation), embodying the intellectual characteristic of the three teachings' integration in the Song Dynasty.

Modern Application

In the era of globalization, this line has become the common language for overseas Chinese to express homesickness. Although modern communication technology has shortened physical distances, the emotional value of 'sharing the moon across thousands of miles' has not diminished - in international video calls, family members around the world will look up at the moon together on Mid-Autumn night, sharing the experience of 'sharing this moment though far apart.' The business community also often uses this line to express the concept of win-win cooperation under globalization. During the 2020 pandemic, this line was widely quoted to express the feeling of being connected in heart despite physical separation due to quarantine.

Origin Story

Legend has it that while serving in Mizhou, Su Shi hosted guests on Mid-Autumn night. After getting drunk, he climbed the Chaoran Pavilion to gaze at the moon. Facing the bright full moon, he thought of his younger brother Su Zhe far away in Ruzhou - they hadn't seen each other for seven years - and couldn't help shedding tears. He wrote this eternal masterpiece with his brush, where 'May we all be blessed with longevity, though thousands of miles apart, we are still able to share the beauty of the moon together' serves as the final beautiful blessing to all separated people. After finishing, Su Shi reportedly had someone deliver a copy to Su Zhe. Though separated by thousands of miles, the brothers appreciated the same bright moon at the same moment, their hearts connected, becoming a beautiful story of brotherly love in Chinese cultural history.

Historical Impact

Once this line was written, it immediately caused a sensation in literary circles and was considered the eternal masterpiece of Mid-Autumn lyrics. Hu Zai of the Song Dynasty wrote in 'Notes from the Thatched Cottage': 'Since Su Dongpo's 'Prelude to Water Melody' came out, all other Mid-Autumn lyrics became obsolete.' Since the Ming and Qing dynasties, this line has been widely quoted and has become the representative blessing for the Mid-Autumn Festival. With the development of China's space program in modern times, when astronauts spend Mid-Autumn in space, national leaders often quote this line to express care for the astronauts. When the Chang'e-5 lunar probe was successfully launched in 2020, the China National Space Administration quoted 'sharing the moon across thousands of miles,' fulfilling the ancient dream of 'climbing to the moon to appreciate Chanjuan.'

Practical Guidance

In modern life, we can apply the wisdom of this line in these ways: ① Long-distance relationships: Though couples live apart, they can agree to appreciate the moon at the same time, using the bright moon as witness to strengthen love; ② Overseas wanderers: Through video calls, 'share' the Mid-Autumn moon with family to ease homesickness; ③ Business cooperation: When partners are distributed in different cities, use this line to express the sincerity of cooperation 'being close despite the distance'; ④ Educating children: On Mid-Autumn night, take children to appreciate the moon while telling the story of Su Shi and his brother to cultivate family affection; ⑤ Self-cultivation: Learn to elevate love for family members from small love to great love for others, cultivating broad-mindedness.