佳偶 (jiā ǒu) — happily married couple; good match

Definition

A literary, complimentary term for a happily married couple — typically used in blessings or praise, not in everyday speech. Often paired with 佳偶天成 ("a match made in heaven").

noun
happily married couplegood match

Examples

  • 佳偶，。
    Tā men shì yí duì jiā ǒu, jié hūn duō nián yī rán ēn ài.
    They are a happily married couple, still in love after many years.
  • 佳偶。
    Dà jiā dōu shuō tā men shì tiān zào dì shè de jiā ǒu.
    Everyone says they are a perfect match made in heaven.
  • 佳偶，。
    Zhù nǐ men chéng wéi yí duì jiā ǒu, bái tóu xié lǎo.
    Wish you become a happy couple and grow old together.

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.

佳jiāgood
偶ǒumate

佳 means good or fine, and 偶 refers to a mate or spouse; together they mean a good match or happily married couple.

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
人人rénman; person
Sound part声符shēngfú
圭
圭guī佳jiā
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

佳 combines 人 (person) with 圭, which is used for the sound guī.

Open 佳 →

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
亻Written in full as人rénperson
Sound part声符shēngfú
禺
禺yú偶ǒu
Same sound today

偶 pairs 亻 (person) with 禺 for the sound. The evidence describes it as a statue of a person, an idol.

Open 偶 →

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