结婚

• Pinyin: jié hūn
• Hanzi breakdown: 结 = 纟(silk) + 吉 (auspicious, phonetic), meaning to tie or form; 婚 = 女 (woman) + 昏 (dusk, phonetic), meaning marriage

Meaning

To get married; to marry. The act of entering into a legal or ceremonial marriage.

The standard, universally used word for getting married. It is a verb-object compound (离合词): the two characters can be separated by other elements, such as 结了婚 (got married) or 结过婚 (have been married before). It covers both the wedding ceremony and the legal act of registering a marriage.

Examples

1. 他们打算明年春天结婚。 They plan to get married next spring.
2. 她结婚以后搬到了北京。 After she got married, she moved to Beijing.
3. 我的好朋友上个月结婚了。 My good friend got married last month.

Usage Guide

Context: family, relationships, everyday, life events

Tone: celebratory

Do Say

• 你们结婚多少年了？(How many years have you been married?)
• 他跟大学同学结婚了。(He married a university classmate.)

Don't Say

• 我想跟这个工作结婚。(Don't use 结婚 metaphorically for non-marriage commitments — unlike English 'married to the job.' Say 我很热爱这个工作.)

Origin & History

Compound of 结 (to tie, to form) and 婚 (marriage), literally 'to tie a marriage bond.' The character 婚 itself combines 女 (woman) and 昏 (dusk), reflecting the ancient custom of holding weddings at dusk.

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal