儿孙满堂 (ér sūn mǎn táng) — blessed with many children and grandchildren (a traditional family ideal)

Definition

A chengyu meaning 'to have children and grandchildren filling the hall' — a traditional blessing for an elderly person whose family line has flourished.

idiom
blessed with many children and grandchildren (a traditional family ideal)

Examples

  • ，儿孙满堂，。
    Wáng nǎi nai jīn nián bā shí suì le, ér sūn mǎn táng, fēi cháng xìng fú.
    Grandma Wang is eighty years old this year, blessed with many children and grandchildren — very happy.
  • ，儿孙满堂。
    Dà jiā dōu zhù lǎo rén shēn tǐ jiàn kāng, ér sūn mǎn táng.
    Everyone wished the elderly person good health and a house full of children and grandchildren.
  • ，儿孙满堂，。
    Tā tuì xiū hòu zhù zài xiāng xia, ér sūn mǎn táng, rì zi guò dé hěn rè nao.
    After retiring, he lives in the countryside with many children and grandchildren around — life is very lively.

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.

儿孙children and grandchildren
儿érchild孙sūngrandchild
联合Side by side
满堂fill the hall
满mǎnfill堂tánghall
动宾Verb + object

儿孙 are children and grandchildren and 满堂 means filling the hall, so the phrase shows descendants filling the home.

Characters in this word

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

The shape 儿 is a simple drawing of a standing person, used as an alternate form of the character for person.

Open 儿 →

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 孫; 孙 is its simplified writing.

The traditional form 孫 pairs 子 (son) with 系 (continue), showing a line of descendants continuing. The simplified 孙 is a later shorthand, not the historical shape.

Open 孙 →

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 滿; 满 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
水水shuǐwater
Sound part声符shēngfú
㒼
㒼㒼滿mǎn
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 滿 pairs 水, showing water, with 㒼, giving the sound. The simplified 满 is a later shorthand, not the original shape.

Open 满 →

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
土土tǔ
Sound part声符shēngfú
尚
尚shàng堂táng
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

堂 uses 土 as a ground/earth part and 尚 for sound.

Open 堂 →

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