📖 Meaning
A wedding blessing wishing the couple a lifelong harmonious union. It expresses the hope that husband and wife will remain loving and devoted to each other for a hundred years. The phrase is commonly used in marriage congratulations and ceremonies.
📜 Origin Story
The phrase appears in the Qing dynasty novel 《粉妆楼》(The Powder Pavilion), traditionally attributed to Luo Guanzhong. In its first chapter, the congratulatory exclamation "百年和合，千载团圆" (a hundred years of harmony, a thousand years of reunion) is used to bless a union. Over time the expression settled into the four-character form 百年好合, becoming a standard wedding benediction in Chinese culture. It reflects the traditional value placed on marital fidelity and lifelong companionship.
💡 Example Usage
在婚礼上，长辈们衷心祝福新人百年好合，白头偕老。
At the wedding, the elders sincerely wished the newlyweds a hundred years of harmony, to grow old together.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 百年好合
- Pinyin: bǎi nián hǎo hé
- Literal Translation: hundred, year, good, together
- Category: Emotion
- Characters: 4