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乃敢与君绝

乃敢與君絕
nǎigǎnyǔjūnjué
phrase

Meanings

  1. 1 only then would I dare to break with you
  2. 2 (a lover's vow) — no impossible condition fulfilled, no parting
  3. 3 (lit.) only then dare with you sever

Examples

山无陵，天地合，乃敢与君绝——这是《上邪》中最动人的誓言。
Shān wú líng, tiāndì hé, nǎi gǎn yǔ jūn jué — zhè shì Shàng Yé zhōng zuì dòngrén de shìyán.
'When mountains have no peaks, when heaven and earth meet — only then would I dare break with you' — the most moving vow in the Yuefu song 'Shang Ye.'
她在誓言里引用乃敢与君绝，表达一生一世的决心。
Tā zài shìyán lǐ yǐnyòng nǎi gǎn yǔ jūn jué, biǎodá yīshēng yīshì de juéxīn.
In her vow she cited 'only then would I dare break with you,' expressing a lifetime of resolve.

Tips

history
Closing line of 《上邪》 (Shàng Yé, 'Oh Heaven Above'), a Han-dynasty 乐府 (yuefu) love song: 上邪！我欲与君相知，长命无绝衰。山无陵，江水为竭，冬雷震震，夏雨雪，天地合，乃敢与君绝 (Oh heaven! I want to know you, a life without end or decay. When the mountains have no peaks, when the rivers run dry, when winter thunders roar, when summer rains snow, when heaven and earth merge — only then would I dare to leave you). The canonical 'list of impossibilities' love oath in Chinese.
usage
乃 here = classical 'only then' (not 'is'). The whole poem stacks five impossibilities before reaching 乃敢与君绝. Routinely recited at weddings, on Qixi Festival, or in love-song lyrics.

Stroke Order

乃 nǎi
敢 gǎn
与 yǔ
君 jūn
绝 jué