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在天愿作比翼鸟

在天願作比翼鳥
zài tiān yuàn zuò bǐyì niǎo
quotation

Meanings

  1. 1 in heaven let us be two birds flying wing-to-wing
  2. 2 a lovers' wish for eternal partnership
  3. 3 lit. in heaven, wish to be paired-wing birds

Examples

婚礼上他念出在天愿作比翼鸟，在地愿为连理枝。
Hūnlǐ shàng tā niàn chū zàitiānyuànzuòbǐyìniǎo, zàidìyuànwéiliánlǐzhī.
At the wedding he recited: "in heaven let us be paired-wing birds; on earth let us be intertwined branches".
这对老夫妻真是在天愿作比翼鸟的写照。
Zhè duì lǎo fūqī zhēnshì zàitiānyuànzuòbǐyìniǎo de xiězhào.
This old couple is truly the living picture of "in heaven wishing to be two paired-wing birds".

Tips

history
From Bai Juyi's (白居易, Tang dynasty) 《长恨歌》, the closing lovers' vow between Emperor Xuanzong and Yang Guifei: 在天愿作比翼鸟，在地愿为连理枝 — 'In heaven, let us be two birds flying wing-to-wing; on earth, let us be two branches intertwined.' The defining classical Chinese vow of undying love.
usage
Always cited together with 在地愿为连理枝. 比翼鸟 (bǐyìniǎo) is a mythological bird that must fly side by side because each has only one wing — Xinhua ci: 'legendary bird, male and female always flying together, used in classical poetry as a metaphor for loving couples'.

Stroke Order

在 zài
天 tiān
愿 yuàn
作 zuò
比 bǐ
翼 yì
鸟 niǎo