Weddings in Chinese 婚礼
hūnlǐ
Wedding in Chinese is 婚礼 (hūn lǐ).
Also searched for as: wedding, marriage, get married, bride groom.
What comes next? (Loops back to Family.) 12 essential weddings words in Mandarin Chinese, with pinyin and English. Open it in the app to hear each word, tick off the ones you know and turn them into flashcards.
The word for wedding in Chinese is 婚礼 (hūn lǐ), and getting married is 结婚 (jié hūn). These words take you from 求婚 (qiú hūn), the proposal, through the big day with the 新娘 (xīn niáng), bride, and 新郎 (xīn láng), groom, to married life, where couples affectionately call each other 老公 (lǎo gōng) and 老婆 (lǎo pó). Weddings are major family occasions in Chinese culture, so this vocabulary is useful if you're ever invited to one.
| Chinese | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
| 婚礼 | hūn lǐ | wedding |
| 结婚 | jié hūn | to get married |
| 新郎 | xīn láng | groom |
| 新娘 | xīn niáng | bride |
| 求婚 | qiú hūn | to propose |
| 戒指 | jiè zhi | ring |
| 婚纱 | hūn shā | wedding dress |
| 婚姻 | hūn yīn | marriage |
| 老公 | lǎo gōng | husband |
| 老婆 | lǎo pó | wife |
| 蜜月 | mì yuè | honeymoon |
| 离婚 | lí hūn | to divorce |
Usage tips
- Guests usually give money in a 红包 (hóng bāo), a red envelope, rather than a present; avoid amounts containing 4, as 四 (sì) sounds like 死 (sǐ), death.
- 老公 (lǎo gōng) and 老婆 (lǎo pó) are warm, everyday words; in formal settings use 丈夫 (zhàng fu) and 妻子 (qī zi), and 先生 (xiān sheng) and 太太 (tài tai) are common in Taiwan, Singapore and Malaysia.
- 结婚 is a separable verb, so durations go after it: 他们结婚十年了 (tā men jié hūn shí nián le), they've been married for ten years, and 结过婚 (jié guo hūn) means having been married before.
Common mistakes
- Learners say 她结婚他, copying 'she married him'; 结婚 doesn't take an object, so say 她跟他结婚了 (tā gēn tā jié hūn le).
- Some guests turn up dressed all in white, but at a 婚礼 white is traditionally linked with funerals; red, 红色 (hóng sè), is the celebratory colour, even though many brides now wear a white 婚纱 (hūn shā).
Mini dialogue
- A我姐姐下个月结婚，你来参加婚礼吗？Wǒ jiě jie xià ge yuè jié hūn, nǐ lái cān jiā hūn lǐ ma?My older sister's getting married next month. Are you coming to the wedding?
- B当然去！新郎是谁？Dāng rán qù! Xīn láng shì shéi?Of course! Who's the groom?
- A是她的大学同学，去年在海边向她求婚了。Shì tā de dà xué tóng xué, qù nián zài hǎi biān xiàng tā qiú hūn le.A friend of hers from university. He proposed to her on the beach last year.
- B太浪漫了！我要准备一个红包。Tài làng màn le! Wǒ yào zhǔn bèi yī ge hóng bāo.How romantic! I'll get a red envelope ready.
Example sentences
- 他们的婚礼在五月。Their wedding is in May.
- 我姐姐明年结婚。My older sister is getting married next year.
- 新郎今天特别帅。The groom looks especially handsome today.
- 新娘笑得很开心。The bride is smiling happily.
- 他在生日那天向她求婚了。He proposed to her on her birthday.
- 这枚戒指真漂亮！This ring is beautiful!
- 她穿着白色的婚纱。She's wearing a white wedding dress.
- 他们的婚姻很幸福。They have a very happy marriage.
- 我老公做的饭很好吃。My husband is a great cook.
- 他老婆是一名老师。His wife is a teacher.
- 他们去海边度蜜月。They went to the seaside for their honeymoon.
- 他们结婚十年后离婚了。They divorced after ten years of marriage.
Practise speaking
Ready to use these words? The Weddings speaking island has 8 everyday questions about weddings to prepare your own answers to.