(ちょうめい)

ちょうめい
noun / adjective (na)
long life; longevity; long-lived
1. long life; longevity; long-lived
Living to an old age; having a long lifespan. Used both as a noun describing longevity and as a na-adjective describing someone or something that is long-lived.
祖母(そぼ)長命(ちょうめい)で95(さい)まで()きた。
My grandmother was long-lived and lived to 95.
長命(ちょうめい)秘訣(ひけつ)(なん)ですか。
What is the secret to a long life?
日本(にほん)世界(せかい)でも長命(ちょうめい)(くに)として()られており、食生活(しょくせいかつ)がその要因(よういん)(ひと)つと()われている。
Japan is known as one of the most long-lived countries in the world, and diet is said to be one of the factors.

Composed of (ちょう) (long) + (めい) (life). A somewhat literary word for longevity. In everyday conversation, 長生(ながい)き is more common.

COMMON COLLOCATIONS:

  • 長命(ちょうめい)秘訣(ひけつ): the secret to longevity
  • 長命(ちょうめい)家系(かけい): a long-lived family line
  • 長命(ちょうめい)(いの)る: to pray for a long life

SIMILAR WORDS:

  • 長生(ながい)き: long life — the most common everyday word for living long
  • 長寿(ちょうじゅ): longevity — slightly more formal, often used in celebrations and statistics
  • 寿命(じゅみょう): lifespan — the expected length of life, not necessarily long

REGISTER:
Slightly literary or formal. More often encountered in writing, proverbs, and traditional expressions than in casual speech.