Definition
连理 is a literary term from classical Chinese poetry, originally referring to two trees whose branches grow into each other, symbolizing inseparable love. It is most famously used in the line '在天愿作比翼鸟，在地愿为连理枝' from Bai Juyi's 'Song of Everlasting Sorrow'. As a noun, it appears in set phrases like 连理枝 (interlocking branches) and 连理 (a deeply loving couple). You won't hear it in everyday conversation — it belongs to formal, poetic, or wedding contexts.
noun
trees with interlocking branches (a symbol of inseparable love)a deeply loving couple (literary)
Examples
- ，连理。Zhè liǎng kē shù de shùzhī zhǎng zài le yìqǐ, xíngchéng le lián lǐ.The branches of these two trees have grown together, forming interlocking branches.
- ，连理。Tāmen jiéhūn shí, péngyou zhù tāmen yǒng jié lián lǐ.When they got married, friends wished them to be a loving couple forever.
- ：“连理”。Bái Jūyì de shī zhōng xiě dào: “Zài dì yuàn wéi lián lǐ zhī”.Bai Juyi's poem says: 'On earth, let us be trees with interlocking branches.'
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