喜事 (xǐ shì) — happy occasion, joyful event; wedding | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

喜事 is a general, everyday term for any happy family event — most often a wedding, but also a birth. 婚礼 is specifically the wedding ceremony itself.

noun

happy occasionjoyful eventwedding

Measure word · 件

Examples

，！
Tīng shuō nǐ jiā yǒu xǐ shì, gōng xǐ gōng xǐ!
I heard there's a happy event at your home — congratulations!
喜事，。
Tā men xià ge yuè bàn xǐ shì, yāo qǐng le hěn duō péng you.
They are holding their wedding next month and invited many friends.
。
Shēng xiǎo hái shì jiā lǐ de yí jiàn dà xǐ shì.
Having a baby is a big happy event in the family.

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.

喜 means happy, 事 means event, so it names a happy occasion or wedding.

Characters in this word

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

壴口喜

壴壴zhùdrum
口口kǒumouth

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

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

又又yòuhand
中中zhōnga flagpole with a drum

In 事, 又 is a hand and 中 is a flagpole with a drum; holding a flag in hand depicts performing a job.

Appears in

HSK 3.0 Level 6 Romance & Marriage

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