📖 Meaning
This idiom describes a married couple whose relationship is harmonious and affectionate, likened to the natural accord between fish and water. It conveys deep mutual dependence, compatibility, and tender intimacy between spouses.
📜 Origin Story
The phrase originates from a Ming dynasty suite of songs (套曲) titled 《八声甘州·代周非月赋别阿蝉》 by the writer Yuan Fugong (袁凫公). In the work, the lyric describes lovers reuniting, comparing their bond to lacquer and glue binding together, and to fish and water fitting in perfect harmony. Though the piece was written as a farewell on behalf of Zhou Feiyue to Achan, the imagery of '鱼水相投' endured as a vivid metaphor for conjugal love. It belongs to the family of fish-and-water metaphors common in classical Chinese writings about intimate bonds.
💡 Example Usage
他们婚后鱼水相投，恩爱一生，从未红过脸。
After marriage, they were as harmonious as fish and water, loving each other all their lives without ever quarreling.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 鱼水相投
- Pinyin: yú shuǐ xiāng tóu
- Literal Translation: fish, water, mutually, accord
- Category: Emotion
- Characters: 4