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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

HSK 6
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 zài tiān yuàn zuò bǐyì niǎo, zài dì yuàn wéi liánlǐ zhī.
At the wedding he recited: "in heaven let us be paired-wing birds; on earth let us be intertwined branches".
HSK 7-9
这对老夫妻真是在天愿作比翼鸟的写照。
Zhè duì lǎo fūqī zhēnshì zài tiān yuàn zuò bǐyì niǎo 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 - in classical poetry it is the metaphor for a loving couple, always flying together.

Stroke Order

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