门当户对 (mén dāng hù duì) — (idiom) well-matched in social and economic status (for marriage)

Definition

Idiom meaning two families are socially and economically well-matched — the traditional standard for a suitable marriage, often framed as old-fashioned today.

idiom
well-matched in social and economic status (for marriage)

Examples

  • ，。
    Tā men liǎng jiā mén dāng hù duì, hěn duō rén dōu jué de zhè mén qīn shì hěn hé shì.
    The two families are well-matched in status, so many people think this marriage is very suitable.
  • ，门当户对。
    Zài chuán tǒng guān niàn lǐ, mén dāng hù duì de hūn yīn gèng róng yì xìng fú.
    In traditional thinking, a marriage between families of matching status is more likely to be happy.
  • 门当户对，。
    Suī rán xiàn zài hěn duō rén bú zài hu mén dāng hù duì le, dàn yǒu xiē fù mǔ hái shì jiān chí zhè ge biāo zhǔn.
    Although many people don't care about family status matching nowadays, some parents still insist on this standard.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéSide by side

Two parts of equal weight, alike or opposite in meaning, standing side by side.

门当door matches
门méndoor当dāngmatch
主谓Subject + predicate
户对house matches
户hùhousehold door对duìmatch
主谓Subject + predicate

门 and 户 both stand for households, while 当 and 对 mean to match, saying the families are well matched.

Characters in this word

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 門; 门 is its simplified writing.

The traditional form 門 pictures a gate as two door shapes side by side; the simplified 门 is a later shorthand.

Open 门 →

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 當; 当 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
田田tiánfield
Sound part声符shēngfú
尚
尚shàng當dāng
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 當 combines 田 (field) with 尚; the evidence describes fields facing each other.

Open 当 →

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 戶; 户 is its simplified writing.

The traditional form 戶 is a picture of half of a gate. The simplified 户 is a later shorthand, so its shape should not be read as the original parts.

Open 户 →

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 對; 对 is its simplified writing.

For the traditional form 對, the shape comes from an early drawing of 丵 (a digging tool), 土 (earth), and 又 (a hand); it may have meant developing land.

Open 对 →

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