愿得一心人

願得一心人

yuàndéyīxīnrén

phrase

Meanings

1 I wish to find a single-hearted lover
2 (fig.) the timeless longing for a faithful, lifelong partner
3 (lit.) wish to obtain a one-heart person

Characters

heart (一心 = single-hearted)

Examples

她在日记里写下愿得一心人，白头不相离。

Tā zài rìjì lǐ xiě xià yuàn dé yīxīnrén, báitóu bù xiānglí.

In her diary she wrote 'I wish to find a single-hearted lover, never parted till our hair turns white.'

在这个快节奏的时代，愿得一心人依然是许多人的梦想。

Zài zhège kuài jiézòu de shídài, yuàn dé yīxīnrén yīrán shì xǔduō rén de mèngxiǎng.

In this fast-paced era, 'to find a single-hearted lover' remains many people's dream.

Tips

history

From 《白头吟》(Song of White Hair, attributed to 卓文君 Zhuo Wenjun, Western Han, 2nd c. BCE, collected in 《玉台新咏》): 闻君有两意，故来相决绝……愿得一心人，白头不相离 (Hearing that your heart has split in two, I come to break things off... May I find a single-hearted person, inseparable till our hair turns white). Zhuo wrote it to her straying husband Sima Xiangru — she shamed him back.

usage

Always paired with 白头不相离. 一心 = single-hearted, undivided (not 'one heart' as a number). One of the most quoted lines in Chinese wedding speeches, love songs, and Valentine's posts.

In Pop Culture

《甄嬛传》 Zhēn Huán Zhuàn

Empresses in the Palace

Major palace drama (2011) where the line is recited as a romantic motif

Stroke Order

愿 yuàn

得 dé

一 yī

心 xīn

人 rén