喜结良缘 (xǐ jié liáng yuán) — to get happily married; to form an auspicious union

Definition

A formal, written chengyu meaning 'to tie a happy marital bond' — used in congratulations and wedding announcements, not in everyday speech.

verb
to get happily marriedto form an auspicious union

Examples

  • ，喜结良缘。
    Tā men jīng guò duō nián liàn ài, zhōng yú xǐ jié liáng yuán le.
    After years of dating, they finally got happily married.
  • 喜结良缘，！
    Gōng xǐ nǐ men xǐ jié liáng yuán, zhù nǐ men yǒng yuǎn xìng fú!
    Congratulations on your happy marriage, and may you always be happy!
  • ，喜结良缘，。
    Zài zhè ge měi hǎo de rì zi lǐ, tā men xǐ jié liáng yuán, kāi shǐ le xīn shēng huó.
    On this beautiful day, they got happily married and started a new life.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

An action followed by what it acts on, fused into one word.

喜结happily join
喜xǐhappy结jiéjoin
偏正Modifier + head
良缘good match
良liánggood缘yuánaffinity
偏正Modifier + head

喜结 expresses happily joining, and 良缘 denotes a good match, together meaning happily get married.

Characters in this word

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

喜 combines 壴, a drum, with 口, a mouth.

Open 喜 →

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 結; 结 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
糸糸mì
Sound part声符shēngfú
吉
吉jí結jié
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 結 pairs 糸 with 吉; 吉 gives the sound, and 糸 relates to the meaning. The simplified 结 is a later shorthand.

Open 结 →

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

良 possibly depicts corridors and a room.

Open 良 →

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 緣; 缘 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
糹Written in full as糸mì
Sound part声符shēngfú
彖
彖tuàn緣⁰yuán
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 緣 puts 糸 (silk) beside 彖, which gives the sound; the simplified 缘 is a later abbreviation.

Open 缘 →

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