月老 (yuè lǎo) — (mythology) Old Man under the Moon; god of marriage; (by extension) matchmaker; person who brings couples together

Definition

月老 is the god of marriage in Chinese folklore — the 'Old Man under the Moon' who ties fated couples together with a red string. By extension, it can also mean a real-life matchmaker who pairs people up.

noun
(mythology) Old Man under the Moongod of marriage(by extension) matchmakerperson who brings couples together

Examples

  • ，月老。
    Chuán shuō zhōng, yuè lǎo yòng yì gēn hóng shéng xì zhù yǒu yuán rén de jiǎo.
    Legend says that the Old Man under the Moon ties the feet of fated lovers with a red string.
  • 月老。
    Wǒ men gōng sī de yuè lǎo zuì jìn yòu cuō he le liǎng duì xīn rén.
    Our company's matchmaker recently paired up two more couples.
  • 月老，。
    Tā zǒng shuō zì jǐ bù xū yào yuè lǎo, yí qiè suí yuán jiù hǎo.
    He always says he doesn't need a matchmaker and just lets fate take its course.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
偏正piānzhèngModifier + head

The first part narrows down the second: it says what kind of thing the head is.

月yuèmoon
老lǎoold man

月 means moon and 老 means old man; together they evoke the old man under the moon who joins couples.

Characters in this word

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

月 was drawn as a crescent moon, with the curved outline showing the moon’s shape.

Open 月 →

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

The shape 老 combines 人 (man), 毛 (hair), and 匕 (cane), showing a man with long hair leaning on a cane.

Open 老 →

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