成婚 (chéng hūn) — (formal) to get married | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

A formal verb meaning 'to get married,' used in writing and announcements rather than everyday speech. More literary than common alternatives like 结婚.

verb

(formal) to get married

Examples

成婚。
Tā men dǎ suàn míng nián chéng hūn.
They plan to get married next year.
。
Tā men chéng le hūn jiù huí lǎo jiā dìng jū le.
They got married and then moved back to their hometown to settle down.
，。
Wǒ biǎo jiě qù nián chéng de hūn, xiàn zài guò dé hěn hǎo.
My cousin got married last year and is doing very well now.

Origin

Compound word

构词法gòucífǎ

动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

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

成chéngto complete

婚hūnmarriage

成婚 combines 成 (to complete) and 婚 (marriage) to mean to enter marriage.

Characters in this word

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

Sound part声符shēngfú

丁

丁dīng成chéng

Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

成 puts 戊, a weapon, beside 丁, which gives the sound. The weapon part relates to protection, as in the old sense of city walls.

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

女昏婚

Meaning part形符xíngfú

Sound part声符shēngfú

昏

昏hūn婚hūn

Same sound today

婚 uses 女 (woman) for the meaning and 昏 for the sound hūn.

Appears in

Romance & Marriage

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