📖 Meaning
A metaphor for a husband and wife who are well-matched and deeply devoted to one another. It describes a harmonious marriage in which both partners suit each other perfectly and live in mutual affection.
📜 Origin Story
This idiom comes from Gaozhai Manlu (高斋漫录), a work by Zeng Di of the Song Dynasty. It tells of a court official surnamed Cheng in Piling during the Xuanhe era who was plain-looking and heavily bearded. On the night of his remarriage, his mother-in-law, displeased with his appearance, grumbled that her bodhisattva-like daughter was marrying a hairy barbarian and demanded Cheng compose a poem on the spot. Cheng boldly wrote: 'One bed, two good—nothing like it in the world; how does a good woman find a good husband? Roll up the pearl curtain and light the candles bright, and let the bodhisattva behold the hairy barbarian.' The phrase 'one bed, two good' thus became a saying for a well-matched and affectionate couple.
💡 Example Usage
他们夫妻二人一床两好，感情十分融洽。
The husband and wife are a perfect match, and their relationship is very harmonious.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 一床两好
- Pinyin: yī chuáng liǎng hǎo
- Literal Translation: one bed, two good
- Category: Emotion
- Characters: 4