📖 Meaning
A metaphor for a married couple who mutually respect, care for, and support each other through both good times and hardships. It combines two classical allusions about exemplary conjugal devotion. The phrase praises a relationship built on reverence and shared endurance.
📜 Origin Story
The idiom fuses two stories from the Book of the Later Han (后汉书). The 'swan tray' (鸿案) refers to Liang Hong (梁鸿), whose wife Meng Guang (孟光) would raise the serving tray to the level of her eyebrows as a gesture of deep respect—giving rise to the famous phrase 'raising the tray to the eyebrows' (举案齐眉). The 'deer cart' (鹿车) refers to Bao Xuan (鲍宣), who together with his wife drove a small deer-drawn cart back to their hometown, willingly sharing a life of simplicity and hardship. United, the two allusions symbolize a couple's mutual reverence and willingness to endure difficulties together.
💡 Example Usage
他们结婚四十载，鸿案鹿车，始终彼此尊重、同甘共苦。
After forty years of marriage, they have honored each other with mutual respect, sharing both joys and hardships.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 鸿案鹿车
- Pinyin: hóng àn lù chē
- Literal Translation: swan, tray, deer, cart
- Category: Attitude
- Characters: 4