Advanced Chinese: 14 Chinese idioms about Love

高级中文课:14个关于爱情的成语
Advanced Chinese:14 Chinese idioms about Love

大家好,

Dàjiā hǎo,

Hello everyone,

欢迎来到Marco Polo Mandarin!

Huānyíng lái dào Marco Polo Mandarin!

Welcome to Marco Polo Mandarin!

我是中文老师Becky.

Wǒ shì zhōngwén lǎoshī Becky.

I am Chinese teacher Becky.

今天是中国农历七月初七,

Jīntiān shì Zhōngguó nónglì qīyuè chūqī,

Today is the July 7th in Chinese lunar calendar.

七夕节,

Qīxì jié,

It’s the Qixi Festival,

也就是中国的情人节。

yě jiùshì Zhōngguó de Qíngrénjié.

It is Chinese Valentine’s Day.

爱情是人类永恒的话题。

Àiqíng shì rénlèi yǒnghéng de huàtí.

Love is an eternal topic for mankind.

那今天我们就一起来看一看

Nà jīntiān wǒmen jiù yīqǐ lái kàn yi kàn

So today we will take a look at it 

在中文里有哪一些成语是用来形容爱情的。

zài zhōngwén lǐ yǒu nǎ yīxiē chéngyǔ shì yòng lái xíngróng àiqíng de.

On what Chinese idioms are used to describe love.

有一种感情非常珍贵,

Yǒu yì zhǒng gǎnqíng fēicháng zhēnguì,

There is a kind of extremely precious love,

那就是青梅竹马。

nà jiùshì qīngméizhúmǎ,

That is the childhood sweetheart,

两小无猜。

Liǎng xiǎo wú cāi.

No suspicion between each other.

这两个词是什么意思呢?

Zhè liǎng ge cí shì shénme yìsi ne?

What do these two words mean?

就是一对爱人,

Jiùshì yí duì àirén,

It means a coupe,

他们从小就认识,在一起玩,

tāmen cóngxiǎo jiù rènshi, zài yīqǐ wán,

They have known each other since

 they were young, and have fun together,

不会互相猜疑。

bú huì hùxiāng cāiyí.

No suspicion between each other.

那这其实来自中国唐代著名诗人

Nà zhè qíshí láizì Zhōngguó tángdài zhùmíng shīrén

Well, this is actually from a famous Chinese poet in Tang Dynasty,

李白的一首诗《长干行》,

Lǐbái de yì shǒu shī《chāng gān xíng》,

A poem by Li Bai called “Chang Gan Xing”,

李白在这首诗里面描述了

Lǐbái zài zhè shǒu shī lǐmiàn miáoshù le

Li Bai described in this poem

一个女人在思念她在远方做生意的丈夫,

Yí ge nǚrén zài sīniàn tā zài yuǎnfāng zuò shēngyì de zhàngfu,

A woman is missing her husband who does business far from home,

他是这么写的:

Tā shì zhème xiě de:

He wrote:

这个女人想起了他丈夫小时候,

Zhège nǚrén xiǎngqǐ le tā zhàngfu xiǎoshíhou,

This woman remembered her husband in their childhood,

骑着竹马来找她玩,

qízhe zhúmǎ lái zhǎo tā wán,

rode a bamboo horse and came to her home for fun,

他们互相抛青梅,没有猜疑。

tāmen hùxiāng pāo qīngméi,méiyǒu cāiyí.

They throw green plums at each other,no suspicion.

所以现在我们就用两小无猜、

Suǒyǐ xiànzài wǒmen jiù yòng liǎngxiǎowúcāi,

So now we use these two words,

青梅竹马这两个词来形容

qīngméizhúmǎ zhè liǎng ge cí lái xíngróng

To describe

一对恋人他们是从小就认识的,

yí duì liànrén tāmen shì cóngxiǎo jiù rènshi de,

A couple have known each other since childhood,

在一块儿长大,

Zài yíkuài r zhǎngdà,

Grow up together,

他们互相没有猜疑。

tāmen hùxiāng méiyǒu cāiyí.

They did not suspect each other.

他们的用法也非常简单,

Tāmen de yòngfǎ yě fēicháng jiǎndān,

The usage of these two words is also simple,

你就直接说

nǐ jiù zhíjiē shuō

Just say

他俩青梅竹马、两小无猜,

tā liǎ qīngméizhúmǎ, liǎngxiǎowúcāi,

They are childhood sweethearts, no suspicion between each other,

到昨天终于结婚了。

dào zuótiān zhōngyú jiéhūn le.

Finally got married yesterday.

那我们很多人可能就没有那么幸运了,

Nà wǒmen hěnduō rén kěnéng jiù méiyǒu nàme xìngyùn le,

Then many of us may not be so lucky,

在小的时候就可以遇到自己一生的伴侣,

zài xiǎo de shíhou jiù kěyǐ yùdào zìjǐ yìshēng de bànlǚ,

who can meet a lover in our early age,

大部分人大概是在十三四岁,

dàbùfen rén dàgài shì zài shísānsì suì,

Most people in their 13 or 14 years old,

在青春期的时候开始

zài qīngchūnqī de shíhou kāishǐ

Start in their puberty

对爱情有一定的想象,

duì àiqíng yǒu yídìng de xiǎngxiàng,

Have some imagination about love.

或者有一定的认识。

huòzhě yǒu yídìng de rènshí.

or have a certain understanding.

那这个时候我们就叫情窦初开。

Nà zhège shíhou wǒmen jiù jiào qíngdòuchūkāi.

We call this period first awakening of love.

情就是感情,

Qíng jiùshì gǎnqíng,

Qing mean love,

窦其实他就是孔的意思,

Dòu qíshí tā jiùshì kǒng de yìsi,

Dou actually means hole,

这里我们可以理解为通道。

zhèli wǒmen kěyǐ lǐjiě wéi tōngdào.

We can consider it as a access,

初就是开始,

Chū jiùshì kāishǐ,

Chu means the beginning,

开就是打开。

kāi jiùshì dǎkāi.

Kai means open.

也就是我们通往感情的通道刚开始打开。

Yě jiùshì wǒmen tōngwǎng gǎnqíng de tōngdào gāng kāishǐ dǎkāi.

Which means our access to love just started to open.

那我们可以这样用这一个词:

Nà wǒmen kěyǐ zhèyàng yòng zhè yí ge cí:

Then we can use this word in this way:

在孩子情窦初开的时候,

Zài háizi qíngdòuchūkāi de shíhou,

When a child in his/her period of first awakening of love,

父母的引导非常重要。

fùmǔ de yǐndǎo fēicháng zhòngyào.

Guidance from parents is very important.

那情窦初开了以后,

Nà qíngdòuchūkāi le yǐhòu,

After puberty,

我们就进入了恋爱阶段,

wǒmen jiù jìnrù le liàn’ài jiēduàn,

We come to the love period,

恋爱中的人总是希望

Liàn’àizhōng de rén zǒngshì xīwàng

People in love always expect

自己的爱情能够长长久久,

zìjǐde àiqíng nénggòu chángchángjiǔjiǔ,

Their love can last forever,

中国人喜欢用自然界中的事情,

Zhōngguórén xǐhuan yòng zìránjiè zhōng de shìqíng,

Chinese people like to use things in nature,

去比喻自己的长久的愿望。

qù bǐyù zìjǐ de chángjiǔ de yuànwàng.

to metaphor something can last forever.

比如说山盟海誓,

Bǐrúshuō shānménghǎishì,

For example, the word shanmenghaishi,

再比如说海枯石烂,

zài bǐrúshuō hǎikūshílàn,

Another example, the word haikushilan,

这两个词是什么意思呢?

zhè liǎng ge cí shì shénme yìsi ne?

What do these two words mean?

山盟海誓的意思是希望我们的盟约和誓言

Shānménghǎishì de yìsi shì xīwàng wǒmen de méngyuē hé shìyán

Shanmenghaishi means we hope our oath

像山和海一样长久。

xiàng shān hé hǎi yíyàng chángjiǔ.

Can last as long as the mountains and the sea.

而海枯石烂呢,

Ér hǎikūshílàn ne,

And the meaning of haikushilan,

枯的意思就是干,

kū de yìsi jiùshì gān,

Ku means dry,

就是希望我们的誓言

jiùshì xīwàng wǒmen de shìyán

It means we wish our oath

到海都干了,

dào hǎi dōu gān le,

Can last until the sea is dry,

都没有水了,

dōu méiyǒu shuǐ le,

There is no water in the sea,

石头都烂了,

shítou dōu làn le,

The stones are rotten,

然后我对你的心还不变,

ránhòu wǒ duì nǐde xīn hái bú biàn,

Then my heart for you is still the same,

你也还爱着我。

nǐ yě hái àizhe wǒ.

You also still love me.

还有一个词是至死不渝,

Háiyǒu yí ge cí shì zhì sǐ bù yú,

One more word called zhisibuyu,

至的意思是到,

zhì de yìsi shì dào,

To means to,

渝的意思是改变。

yú de yìsi shì gǎibiàn.

Yu means change.

那至死不渝的意思就是

Nà zhìsǐbùyú de yìsi jiùshì

The meaning of zhisibuyu is

就算我们都死了,

jiùsuàn wǒmen dōu sǐ le,

Even if we die,

到死的时候我对你的心都不变,

dào sǐ de shíhou wǒ duì nǐde xīn dōu bú biàn,

My heart for you will not change until I die,

我们都爱着对方。

wǒmen dōu àizhe duìfāng.

We all love each other.

那我们可以这样用这三个词:

Nà wǒmen kěyǐ zhèyàng yòng zhè sān ge cí:

Then we can use these three words in this way:

恋爱中的人都喜欢山盟海誓,

Liàn’ài zhōng de rén dōu xǐhuan shānménghǎishì,

People in love like to pledge each other,

他们发誓我们的爱情

tāmen fāshì wǒmen de àiqíng

They swear our love

会海枯石烂、至死不渝。

Huì hǎikūshílàn, zhìsǐbùyú.

Will last forever.

好的感情最终会步入婚姻的殿堂,

Hǎode gǎnqíng zuìzhōng huì bùrù hūnyīn de diàntáng,

A good quality of love will eventually come to marriage,

那如果下次你有机会参加

Nà rúguǒ xià cì nǐ yǒu jīhuì cānjiā

If next time you get a chance to participate in

你的中国朋友的婚礼,

nǐde Zhōngguó péngyou de hūnlǐ,

Your Chinese friend’s wedding,

你应该用哪些成语对他们表示祝贺呢?

nǐ yīnggāi yòng nǎxiē chéngyǔ duì tāmen biǎoshì zhùhè ne?

Which idioms should you use to congratulate them?

这里我就给你们介绍几个

Zhèli wǒ jiù gěi nǐmen jièshào jǐ ge 

I will introduce you to a few  

我们在婚礼上常用的成语。

Wǒmen zài hūnlǐ shàng chángyòng de chéngyǔ.

Idioms commonly used in weddings.

永结同心、百年好合

Yǒng jié tóngxīn,bǎinián hǎo hé

Love each other forever,

天长地久、白头偕老。

Tiān cháng dì jiǔ,bái tóu xié lǎo。

Be grow old together and be lover forever,

好,下面我们就一个一个地来看

hǎo, xiàmiàn wǒmen jiù yí ge yí ge de lái kàn

OK, let’s look at them one by one

这几个成语是什么意思。

Zhè jǐ ge chéngyǔ shì shénme yìsi.

What do these idioms mean.

首先是永结同心,

Shǒuxiān shì yǒngjiétóngxīn,

First one is yongjietongxin,

你看“永”就是永远,

nǐ kàn “yǒng” jiùshì yǒngyuǎn,

You see “yong” means forever,

“结”就是在一起,

“jié” jiùshì zài yīqǐ,

 “jie” means being together,

同心就是同一个、同样的心。

tóngxīn jiùshì tóng yíge, tóngyàng de xīn.

Tongxin means with one heart.

所以就是希望我们的心永远的在一起。

Suǒyǐ jiùshì xīwàng wǒmen de xīn yǒngyuǎn de zài yīqǐ.

So it means I hope our hearts will be together forever.

然后百年好合,

Ránhòu bǎi nián hǎo hé,

Then the word bainianhaohe,

百年是我们中国古代人们想到的,

bǎinián shì wǒmen zhōngguó gǔdài rénmen xiǎngdào de,

A hundred years is what our ancient ancestors can imagine,

我们最长的寿命,

wǒmen zuì zhǎng de shòumìng,

The longest life,

也就是直到我们很老很老的时候,

yě jiùshì zhídào wǒmen hěn lǎo hěn lǎo de shíhou,

Which means even when we are very old

我们还是很好地、很幸福地生活在一起,

wǒmen háishì hěn hǎo de, hěn xìngfú de shēnghuó zài yīqǐ,

We are still live together happily together.

这个就叫百年好合。

zhège jiù jiào bǎiniánhǎohé.

This is called bainianhaohe.

天长地久呢,

Tiānchángdìjiǔ ne,

How about tianchangdijiu?

这就跟我们前面提到的一样,

zhè jiù gēn wǒmen qiánmiàn tídào de yíyàng,

This is the same as we mentioned earlier,

中国人总喜欢用

Zhōngguórén zǒng xǐhuān yòng

Chinese people always like to use

山啊、树啊、海啊、石头啊、

shān a, shù a, hǎi a, shítou a,

Mountains, trees, sea, stones,

来表达我们对长久的事物的一些期待,

lái biǎodá wǒmen duì chángjiǔde shìwù de yìxiē qīdài,

To express our expectations for long-term things,

那天长地久呢,

nà tiānchángdìjiǔ ne,

The word tianchangdijiu,

就是希望我们之间的感情能够

Jiùshì xīwàng wǒmen zhījiān de gǎnqíng nénggòu

Mean that I hope the relationship between us can

像天和地一样长久。

xiàng tiān hé dì yíyàng chángjiǔ.

As long as the sky and the earth.

然后最后一个白头偕老,

Ránhòu zuìhòu yí ge báitóuxiélǎo,

Then the last word baitouxielao,

你看,白头说的是我们的头发都变白了,

nǐ kàn, báitóu shuō de shì wǒmen de tóufà dōu biànbái le,

You see, baitou means our hairs turn white,

偕老就是我们手拉着手一起变老。

xiélǎo jiùshì wǒmen shǒu lāzhe shǒu yìqǐ biànlǎo.

Xielao means we grow old together,

所以就是希望我们能够手拉着手一起变老。

Suǒyǐ jiùshì xīwàng wǒmen nénggòu shǒu lāzhe shǒu yìqǐ biànlǎo.

So I hope we can support each other until we’re old.

这是多美好的事!

Zhè shì duō měihǎo de shì!

What a wonderful thing!

在中国我们有一首歌,

zài Zhōngguó wǒmen yǒu yì shǒu gē, 

in China we have a long,

里面的歌词是这样唱的:

lǐmiàn de gēcí shì zhèyàng chàng de:

the lyrics is like this:

我能想到最浪漫的事,

Wǒ néng xiǎngdào zuì làngmàn de shì,

The most romantic thing I can think of,

就是和你一起慢慢变老。

jiùshì hé nǐ yìqǐ mànman biàn lǎo.

Just grow old with you.

所以你看,中国人对美好爱情的期待

Suǒyǐ nǐ kàn, Zhōngguórén duì měihǎo àiqíng de qídài

So you see, the Chinese people’s expectation of beautiful love

就是我们平平常常地过,

jiùshì wǒmen píngpíng chángcháng de guò,

It’s just that we live normally,

一起慢慢地变老

Yìqǐ mànman de biàn lǎo.

Slowly grow old together.

还有一个词叫早生贵子。

hái yǒu yí ge cí jiào zǎoshēng guìzǐ.

And another word is called zaoshengguizi.

早生贵子的意思呢

Zǎoshēng guìzǐ de yìsi ne

The meaning of this word

就是希望你们快一点有孩子。

jiùshì xīwàng nǐmen kuài yìdiǎn yǒu háizi.

Is wish you can have a child soon.

那在中国的婚礼上,

Nà zài zhōngguó de hūnlǐ shàng,

Then in a Chinese wedding,

很多人也喜欢在床上放上

hěnduō rén yě xǐhuān zài chuángshàng fàng shàng

Many people like to put these things on the bride and bridegroom’s bed

红枣、花生、桂圆和莲子,

hóngzǎo, huāshēng, guìyuán hé liánzǐ,

Red dates, peanuts, longan and lotus seeds,

他们分别是取红枣的“枣”,

tāmen fēnbié shì qǔ hóngzǎo de “zǎo”,

They respectively get the pronunciation of “zǎo” in “hóngzǎo”

花生的“生”,桂圆的“桂”

Huāshēng de “shēng”, guìyuán de “guì”

The “shēng” in “huāshēng”, the “guì” in “guìyuán”,  

莲子的“子”,这四个字的读音,

liánzǐ de “zǐ”, zhè sì ge zì de dúyīn,

And the “zǐ” in “liánzǐ”.

来象征早生贵子,

lái xiàngzhēng zǎoshēng guìzǐ,

To indicate wish you have a child soon.

这个意思就是祝福这一对

zhège yìsi jiùshì zhùfú zhè yí duì

This is to wish this couple

新人早一点有孩子。

Xīnrén zǎo yìdiǎn yǒu háizi.

Can have a child soon.

所以下一次你去参加

Suǒyǐ xià yícì nǐ qù cānjiā

So next time when you join

中国朋友的婚礼的时候,

Zhōngguó péngyou de hūnlǐ de shíhòu,

A Chinese friend’s wedding,

你就可以用这些词了。

nǐ jiù kěyǐ yòng zhèxiē cí le.

You can use these words.

不用想,

Búyòng xiǎng,

You don’t even need to think about it,

你随便说两个都能表达对他们的祝福。

nǐ suíbiàn shuō liǎng ge dōu néng biǎodá duì tāmen de zhùfú.

Just pick up any two of these words you can express your best wishes.

比如说:“祝你们百年好合、永结同心”。

Bǐrú shuō:“Zhù nǐmen bǎiniánhǎohé, yǒngjié tóngxīn”.

For example: “I wish you have a happy marriage and it can last forever”

当然你也可以说:“祝你们白头偕老、早生贵子。”

Dāngrán nǐ yě kěyǐ shuō:“Zhù nǐmen báitóuxiélǎo, zǎoshēngguìzǐ.”

Of course, you can also say: “I wish you have a child soon, and grow old together”

随便拿两个就可以对他们表示美好的祝福。

Suíbiàn ná liǎng ge jiù kěyǐ duì tāmen biǎoshì měihǎo de zhùfú.

Just take two and express good wishes to them.

你学会了吗?

Nǐ xuéhuì le ma?

Have you learned it?

那么结婚了以后

Nàme jiéhūn le yǐhòu

After getting married

夫妻之间又该如何相处呢?

fūqī zhījiān yòu gāi rúhé xiāngchǔ ne?

How should couples get along?

中文里有个成语叫相敬如宾,

Zhōngwén li yǒu ge chéngyǔ jiào xiāngjìngrúbīn,

There is an idiom in Chinese called XiangJingrubin,

意思就是说我们要互相尊敬对方,

yìsi jiùshì shuō wǒmen yào hùxiāng zūnjìng duìfāng,

It means that we have to respect each other,

就好像对我们的客人一样。

jiù hǎoxiàng duì wǒmen de kèrén yīyàng.

It’s as if we were to our guests.

相就是互相,敬就是尊重,

Xiāng jiùshì hùxiāng, jìng jiùshì zūnzhòng,

Xiang means mutual, and jing means respect,

如就是好像,宾呢就是客人

rú jiùshì hǎoxiàng, bīn ne jiùshì kèrén.

Ru means like, bin means guest,

所以我们像尊敬我们的客人一样尊敬对方。

Suǒyǐ wǒmen xiàng zūnjìng wǒmen de kèrén yíyàng zūnjìng duìfāng.

So we respect each other like our guests.

当然这是非常理想的状态,

Dāngrán zhè shì fēicháng lǐxiǎng de zhuàngtài,

Of course this is a very ideal state,

可能现实生活中的很多夫妻都非常不客气。

kěnéng xiànshí shēnghuó zhōng de hěnduō fūqī dōu fēicháng bú kèqi.

Many couples in real life may not be so polite.

那在长达几十年的婚姻生活中,

Nà zài zhǎng dá jǐshí nián de hūnyīn shēnghuó zhōng,

In the decades-long married life,

如果我们遇到了困难,

rúguǒ wǒmen yùdào le kùnnán,

If we encounter difficulties,

我们应该怎么办呢?

wǒmen yīnggāi zěnmebàn ne?

What should we do?

那我们可以相濡以沫、患难与共。

Nà wǒmen kěyǐ xiāngrúyǐmò, huànnànyǔgòng.

Then we should help each other, and share weal and woe.

这两个词是什么意思呢?

Zhè liǎng ge cí shì shénme yìsi ne?

What do these two words mean?

相濡以沫它来自这样一个故事,

Xiāngrúyǐmò tā láizì zhèyàng yí ge gùshi,

It comes from such a story,

据说有两条鱼,

jùshuō yǒu liǎng tiáo yú,

It is said that there are two fish,

因为泉水干了,

yīnwèi quánshuǐ gān le,

Because the spring water is dry,

他们没有水,

tāmen méiyǒu shuǐ,

They don’t have water,

他们都快被渴死了。

tāmen dōu kuài bèi kě sǐ le.

They are all dying of thirst.

那他们就靠给对方自己的沫,

Nà tāmen jiù kào gěi duìfāng zìjǐ de mò,

Then they survived by supporting

沫的意思就是口水,

mò de yìsi jiùshì kǒushuǐ,

each other with their saliva,

靠给对方自己的口水去滋润对方,

Kào gěi duìfāng zìjǐ de kǒushuǐ qù zīrùn duìfāng,

To moisturize each other with their saliva,

让对方活下去。

ràng duìfāng huó xiàqu.

To save each other.

这就是相濡以沫的意思。

Zhè jiùshì xiāngrúyǐmò de yìsi.

This is what Xiangluyimo means.

然后患难与共呢?

Ránhòu huànnànyǔgòng ne?

Then share weal and woe?

患难就是很大的灾难、

Huànnàn jiùshì hěn dà de zāinàn,

Huannan means suffering is a great disaster,

然后与共呢?就是我还可以跟你在一起,

ránhòu yǔgòng ne? Jiùshì wǒ hái kěyǐ gēn nǐ zài yīqǐ,

How about yugong? It means I still be with you,

我们共同去面对比较大的困难。

wǒmen gòngtóng qù miànduì bǐjiào dà de kùnnán.

We face a big difficulty together.

那成语的用法呢?

Nà chéngyǔ de yòngfǎ ne?

What about the usage of idioms?

也非常简单,

Yě fēicháng jiǎndān,

It’s also simple,

我们就说夫妻之间应该

wǒmen jiù shuō fūqī zhījiān yīnggāi

We just say that husband and wife

相濡以沫、患难与共。

xiāngrúyǐmò, huànnànyǔgòng.

should share weal and woe.

你看用法很简单吧?

Nǐ kàn yòngfǎ hěn jiǎndān ba?

The usage is very simple, isn’t it?

好,那这就是我给大家介绍的

Hǎo, nà zhè jiùshì wǒ gěi dàjiā jièshào de

OK, then this is what I want to share with you

关于爱情的中文成语。

guānyú àiqíng de zhōngwén chéngyǔ.

Chinese idioms about love.

如果你也知道别的关于爱情的成语,

Rúguǒ nǐ yě zhīdào biéde guānyú àiqíng de chéngyǔ,

If you also know other idioms about love,

欢迎你在视频的下方留言,

huānyíng nǐ zài shìpín de xiàfāng liúyán,

You are welcome to leave a message below the video,

也欢迎你到我的网站去下载这一个文本来学习。

yě huānyíng nǐ dào wǒ de wǎngzhàn qù xiàzàizhè yīgè wénběn lái xuéxí.

You can also download the PDF from my website

好,我们下节课见!

Hǎo, wǒmen xià jié kè jiàn!

OK, see you in next lesson!

Becky Huang

Hey, my name is Becky. I'm a Chinese teacher certified by the Confucius Institute with 14 years of teaching experience. I wrote all these exercises based on the New HSK Standard (2021).