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成亲 (chéng qīn) — to get married (formal or traditional context)

Definition

Literary/classical verb for 'to get married,' heard mainly in historical dramas, folktales, and festive storytelling rather than everyday speech.

verb
to get married (formal or traditional context)

Examples

  • 成亲。
    Tā men jué dìng xià ge yuè chéng qīn.
    They decided to get married next month.
  • 。
    Tā men chéng le qīn jiù bān qù le běi jīng.
    After they got married, they moved to Beijing.
  • 成亲。
    Zhè duì xīn rén zài cūn zi lǐ rè rè nào nào dì chéng qīn le.
    This couple got married in the village with a lively celebration.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

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

成chéngaccomplish/become
亲qīnmarriage/kinship

成 means to accomplish, 亲 refers to marriage or kinship, giving the sense of getting married.

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
戊戊wù
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.

Open 成 →

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 親; 亲 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
見見jiànsee
Sound part声符shēngfú
辛
辛xīn親qīn
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 親 uses 見 (see) for sense and 辛 (a chisel) for sound; the simplified 亲 is a shorthand and its parts are not the historical components.

Open 亲 →
Appears in
Romance & Marriage

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