thousand years; millennium; very long time
Literally a thousand years; also used figuratively for an extremely long time. The figurative use is common in expressions like 千年に一度.
This shrine has a history of over a thousand years.
It's a once-in-a-millennium opportunity.
千年 is the plain, everyday way to say 'a thousand years,' while 千秋 is a literary, poetic word for a very long time, often found in set phrases like 一日千秋.
千年 is the plain modern word for 'a thousand years,' while 千歳 is a poetic, classical-sounding variant used in literary or ceremonial contexts.
千年 literally means 'one thousand years' and is used factually, whereas 千代 is poetic and often hyperbolic, implying endless generations.
millennium
8000 years; thousands of years; eternity
millenarianism; millennialism; chiliasm
thousand-year period; a millennium
emperor red snapper; bourgeois red snapper; bourgeois fish
Compound of 千 (thousand) and 年 (year). The figurative sense of 'a very long time' is a natural extension.