📖 Meaning
Literally 'beating mandarin ducks with a stick.' It is a metaphor for forcibly separating a loving couple or romantic partners who wish to stay together. The idiom evokes the cruelty of destroying a bond that should be cherished.
📜 Origin Story
The phrase traces back to Ming Dynasty playwright Meng Chengshun's work 'Yingwumu Zhenwen Ji' (The Record of the Parrot Tomb's Steadfast Love), where the line warns against breaking apart a devoted pair: their two children's love was firm, so one should not 'beat the mandarin ducks' and turn it into idle gossip. Mandarin ducks are traditional symbols of conjugal fidelity, as they are said to mate for life. The idiom uses this imagery to condemn anyone—parents, authorities, or outsiders—who forcibly separates loving couples.
💡 Example Usage
父母棒打鸳鸯，强行拆散了这对相恋多年的恋人。
The parents played the villain and forcibly split up the couple who had been in love for years.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 棒打鸳鸯
- Pinyin: bàng dǎ yuān yāng
- Literal Translation: stick, strike, mandarin ducks
- Category: Action
- Characters: 4