许亲 (xǔqīn): to accept a marriage proposal

Meanings

1 to accept a marriage proposal
2 (of a parent) to promise a daughter in marriage

Characters

许

Examples

父亲已经把她许亲给邻村的张家。

Fùqīn yǐjīng bǎ tā xǔqīn gěi línzūn de Zhāng jiā.

Her father has already promised her in marriage to the Zhang family in the neighboring village.

古代女子的婚事多由父母许亲。

Gǔdài nǚzǐ de hūnshì duō yóu fùmǔ xǔqīn.

In ancient times, a woman's marriage was usually arranged by her parents.

Tips

culture

许亲 belongs to the older arranged-marriage vocabulary, where the verb subject is typically the bride's parents — 'to give consent' to a match. It overlaps with 许配 (xǔpèi, to betroth) and survives mostly in historical novels, period dramas, and rural traditional usage.