一步一个脚印

See how many of these random words you can guess the English and Chinese for! This week’s topic is “marriage”! Enjoy! (Note: some of them do not have English equivalents!)

1. Getting married to someone you have only just met. (Chinese)

2. Getting married to someone without having first bought a house, car, or wedding ring, or without even paying for an official wedding ceremony. (Chinese)

3. Being compelled to marry someone against your will. (Chinese, English)

4. Living with your fiance for a certain (trial) period before officially getting married. (Chinese)

5. Getting married three or more years after when you are legally allowed to marry. (Chinese)

6. Getting married after finding out the woman has fallen pregnant. (Chinese, English)

7. Getting married for the political benefit of one or both of the parties, instead of out of mutual love for one another. (Chinese)

8. Getting married for reasons other than relationship, family, or love, but instead merely for personal gain. (Chinese, English)

9. Marrying someone for commercial gain, especially for the purposes of securing residency in a foreign country. (Chinese, English)

10. Being introduced to your future husband or wife via a third-party. (Chinese, English)

11. Getting married to someone who has the same gender as you. (Chinese, English)

12. Getting married and deceiving the government or society about its purpose. (Chinese, English)

13. A gay man and a lesbian marrying each other to ward off pressure from their families and society at large to find a partner of the opposite sex. (Chinese, English)

14. A marriage in which one or both parties are deceased. (Chinese)

Answers

1. 闪婚 shǎnhūn: literally, “flash marriage”, in China refers to getting married to someone you have only just met.

2. 裸婚 luǒhūn: literally, “naked marriage”, in China refers to getting married to someone without having bought a house, car, or wedding ring, or without even paying for an official wedding ceremony.

3. 逼婚 bīhūn: forced marriage, being compelled to marry someone against one’s will

4. 试婚 shìhūn: literally, “trial marriage”, in China refers to living with your fiance for a certain (trial) period before officially getting married.

5. 晚婚 wǎnhūn: literally, “late marriage”, in China refers to getting married three or more years after when you are legally allowed to marry.

6. 奉子成婚 fèngzǐ chénghūn: literally, “offering-child marriage”, in China refers to getting married after finding out the woman has fallen pregnant. The expression implies that the couple went through with the marriage out of a feeling of obligation. In English this is known as a “shotgun marriage” or “shotgun wedding”.

7. 政治婚姻 zhèngzhì hūnyīn: literally, “political marriage”, in China refers to getting married for the political benefit of one or both of the parties, instead of out of mutual love for one another. An example of this would be a “marriage of state”, the ancient practice of marrying two members of different nation-states to forge an alliance between the two countries.

8. 权宜婚姻 quányí hūnyīn: literally, “expedient marriage”, in English known as “a marriage of convenience”, that is, getting married for reasons other than relationship, family or love, but instead merely for personal gain.

9. 商婚 shānghūn: literally, “commercial marriage”, in China refers to marrying someone for commercial gain, especially for the purposes of securing residency in a foreign country. In English this is known as a “green card marriage”.

10. 包办婚姻 bāobàn hūnyīn: arranged marriage, that is, being introduced to your future husband or wife via a third-party.

11. 同性婚姻 tóngxìng hūnyīn: same-sex marriage, that is, getting married to someone who has the same gender as you.

12. 假结婚 jiǎ jiéhūn: sham marriage, that is, getting married and deceiving the government or society about its purpose.

13. 形式婚姻 (形婚) xíngshì hūnyīn (xínghūn): literally, “form marriage”, in China refers to a gay man and a lesbian marrying each other to ward off pressure from their families and society at large to find a partner of the opposite sex. In English this is known as a “lavender marriage”.

14. 冥婚 mínghūn: literally, “spirit marriage”, in China refers to a marriage in which one or both parties are deceased. Wikipedia refers to this concept as “ghost marriage”.