合家欢 (hé jiā huān) — family photograph (regional term)

Definition

A colloquial term, mainly used in Taiwan and other regional varieties, for a family photograph or a family gathering photo where everyone is together. It literally evokes the whole family being happy together.

noun
family photograph (regional term)
Measure word · 张

Examples

  • 合家欢。
    Zhè zhāng hé jiā huān shì zài nǎi nai jiā pāi de.
    This family photo was taken at grandma's house.
  • 合家欢。
    Tā gěi wǒ kàn le yì zhāng lǎo hé jiā huān.
    He showed me an old family photo.
  • 合家欢。
    hé jiā huān Lǐ měi gè rén dōu xiào dé hěn kāi xīn.
    Everyone in the family photo is smiling happily.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
主谓zhǔwèiSubject + predicate

A small sentence frozen into a word: something, and what it does or is.

合家whole family
合héwhole家jiāfamily
偏正Modifier + head
欢huānhappy

合家 (whole family) 欢 (happy): the family rejoices, hence a family photograph.

Characters in this word

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

合 shows 亼 and 口 arranged as two mouths speaking together.

Open 合 →

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
宀宀miánroof
Sound part声符shēngfú
𢑓
𢑓𢑓家jiā
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The early drawing of 家 showed a roof 宀 over a male-pig sign 𢑓 that gave the pronunciation; the lower part later changed shape.

Open 家 →

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 歡; 欢 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
欠欠qiàn
Sound part声符shēngfú
雚
雚guàn歡huān
Same sound today

The traditional form 歡 uses 雚 for the sound and 欠 for the meaning; the simplified 欢 is a later shorthand, so its parts do not carry that history.

Open 欢 →

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