郎骑竹马来

郎騎竹馬來

lángqízhúmǎlái

phrase

Meanings

1 the boy came riding on a bamboo horse
2 Li Bai's image of childhood innocence — the source of the phrase 青梅竹马 (childhood sweethearts)

Characters

Examples

他们俩从小是邻居，郎骑竹马来，两小无猜。

Tāmen liǎ cóngxiǎo shì línjū, láng qí zhú mǎ lái, liǎngxiǎo-wúcāi.

The two were neighbors since childhood — 'the boy came riding on a bamboo horse,' pure innocent friendship.

这对夫妻从小一起长大，真是郎骑竹马来的缘分。

Zhè duì fūqī cóngxiǎo yīqǐ zhǎngdà, zhēnshi láng qí zhú mǎ lái de yuánfèn.

This couple grew up together — truly the 'boy on a bamboo horse' kind of fate.

Tips

history

From 《长干行》 by 李白 (Li Bai, Tang dynasty): '郎骑竹马来，绕床弄青梅。同居长干里，两小无嫌猜。' The wife narrates her childhood with her now-absent merchant husband. This poem gave Chinese its term 青梅竹马 for childhood sweethearts.

usage

郎 here = young man / my darling, not 'doorman.' 竹马 literally 'bamboo horse' = a stick children ride pretending it's a horse.

Stroke Order

郎 láng

骑 qí

竹 zhú

马 mǎ

来 lái