活久见

活久見
huójiǔjiàn
phrase

Meanings

  1. 1 if you live long enough, you'll see anything
  2. 2 I never thought I'd see the day
  3. 3 well I'll be damned (internet slang)

Examples

Tā jūrán zhǔdòng dàoqiàn, zhēnshì huójiǔjiàn!
He actually apologized first — never thought I'd see the day!
Huójiǔjiàn, jīntiān de tàiyáng cóng xībiān chūlái le.
Well I'll be damned, today the sun rose in the west.

Tips

usage
Internet neologism (c. 2006), short for 什么见到 ('live long enough and you'll see anything'). Used as a standalone exclamation when something unbelievable happens. Very informal — fine in chats, avoid in formal writing.
memory
Read literally: (live) + (long) + (see) — 'live long, see [it]'. The word order mimics English 'live to see the day'.

Stroke Order

huó
jiǔ
jiàn