婚姻 hūnyīn marriage
marriage; matrimony
How to remember 婚姻: 婚 to get married + 姻 relatives by marriage = marriage.
Characters
How it is used
- Marriage as an institution/relationship, not the wedding: 婚姻幸福 (hūnyīn xìngfú) a happy marriage, 婚姻自由 (freedom of marriage).
- Contrast 结婚 (jiéhūn, the act of getting married) and 婚礼 (hūnlǐ, the wedding ceremony); 婚姻 is the ongoing married state.
- Formal-ish; legal and social discussion of married life.
Example sentences
- 有些人害怕婚姻。 Yǒuxiē rén hàipà hūnyīn.Marriage frightens some people.
- 她很羡慕好朋友的幸福婚姻。 Tā hěn xiànmù hǎo péngyou de xìngfú hūnyīn.She admires/envies her good friend's happy marriage.