认亲

認親

rènqīn

verb

Meanings

1 to acknowledge someone as a relative
2 to recognize kinship
3 (old) to visit new in-laws after marriage

Characters

to recognize; acknowledge

Examples

失散多年后，他终于和亲生父母认亲了。

Shīsàn duōnián hòu, tā zhōngyú hé qīnshēng fùmǔ rènqīn le.

After many years apart, he was finally reunited with his birth parents.

按照传统，新娘婚后要回娘家认亲。

Ànzhào chuántǒng, xīnniáng hūnhòu yào huí niángjiā rènqīn.

By tradition, the bride visits her own family after the wedding to formally meet the in-laws.

Tips

culture

Modern Chinese news uses 认亲 most often for adoption reunions and DNA-database matches that bring trafficked or lost children back to birth families — highly emotional moments often filmed for state TV.

history

Older meaning relates to 三朝回门 (sānzhāo huímén) — the bride's return to her parents' home three days after the wedding, where families exchanged formal greetings and acknowledged the new kinship ties.

Stroke Order

认 rèn

亲 qīn