I wrote down "Love You for 10,000 Years" in Chinese with water on a cement surface in a hot summer. It quickly evaporated under the sun.
In China, Love You for 10,000 Years is more than just the name of a song.
The first Love You for 10,000 Years song was sung by Taiwanese pop singer You-Ya in 1976 and become an immediate hit. In the following years, the song was covered by numerous singers. Another same-name song was written and sung by Hong Kong superstar Andy Lau.
This expression has been frequently used in Chinese pop culture. One of the most acclaimed Chinese comedy movies A Chinese Odyssey, starring Stephen Chow, used this expression in one of the most classic Chinese movie lines:
“...If I am given the chance to meet the girl again, I want to tell her three simple words, 'I love you'. If my love for her has to have an expiry date, let it be 10,000 years.”
Besides this, the expression can also be found in Wong Kar-wai's 1994 movie Chungking Express.
在中文语境里，“爱你一万年”这五个字不只是一首歌名而已。
《爱你一万年》这首歌最开始是由台湾玉女歌手尤雅于1976年演唱，之后获刘文正、伍佰等知名歌手多次翻唱。同时“爱你一万年”这几个字也成为街头巷尾的流行语。在1999年，刘德华填词并演唱的《爱你一万年》在中国大陆一炮而红。
“爱你一万年”的流行，也频繁体现在影视作品中。例如最著名的例子就是在周星驰主演的电影《大话西游》，至尊宝的经典台词：“如果上天能够给我一个再来一次的机会，我会对那个女孩子说三个字：我爱你。如果非要在这份爱上加上一个期限，我希望是，一万年！”
This Love You for 10,000 Years expression has become widely used and accepted in the Chinese-speaking world in the past few decades. When it first appeared, it was poetic, beautiful, straightforward, affirmative, and most importantly, catchy. Generations after, the passion has faded, and this promise has been added a bit of silliness and a sense of humor.
“爱你一万年”在中文世界里是家喻户晓的五个字。它富有诗意，同时简短直接。最重要的是，它朗朗上口。这句话刚刚出现时，充满了深情和浪漫。而今时过境迁，其中的激情已褪。在现在的中文语境下，这句话只剩下一股傻气和少许的幽默。
Chungking Express, 1994, Director: Wong Kar-wai
