男大须婚 nán dà xū hūn Men should marry when they are of age

Explanation

指男子成年后应当结婚成家。体现了中国传统社会对婚姻家庭的重视。

It refers to the fact that a man should get married when he is grown up. It reflects the importance of marriage and family in traditional Chinese society.

Origin Story

话说古代某村庄，有个老秀才，膝下只有一子，名叫张大郎。张大郎年方二八，仪表堂堂，自小聪颖过人。只是他性情孤傲，不喜与人交往，一心只读圣贤书。眼看邻里乡亲家家户户儿孙满堂，老秀才心里着急万分，便四处托人给张大郎说媒。可张大郎对这些媒人带来的姑娘，不是嫌弃容貌，就是嫌弃家世，一个也看不上。老秀才无奈，只好苦口婆心地劝道：“儿啊，男大须婚，这是天理人情，你总不能一辈子不娶妻生子吧？”张大郎依旧摇头不语，继续埋头苦读。老秀才见他如此执拗，气得直跺脚。一日，村里来了位云游四海的道长，老秀才便恳求道长帮忙劝劝张大郎。道长见张大郎博闻强识，便与他谈论起人生大事。道长说道：“人生在世，不只读书，也要享受生活，男大须婚，成家立业才是人生正道。”张大郎听后，若有所思，终于答应考虑婚事。后来，张大郎娶了一位贤惠的妻子，生活幸福美满，也渐渐体会到家庭的温暖。

huà shuō gǔdài mǒu cūn zhuāng, yǒu gè lǎo xiùcái, xī xià zhǐ yǒu yī zǐ, míng jiào zhāng dà láng. zhāng dà láng nián fāng èr bā, yíbiǎo tángtáng, zì xiǎo cōngyǐng guòrén. zhǐshì tā xìng qíng gū ào, bù xǐ yǔ rén jiāowǎng, yī xīn zhǐ dú shèngxián shū. yǎn kàn línlǐ xiāng qīn jiā jiā hù hù ér sūn mǎntáng, lǎo xiùcái xīn lǐ zhāojí wàn fēn, biàn sì chù tuō rén gěi zhāng dà láng shuō méi. kě zhāng dà láng duì zhè xiē méi rén dài lái de gūniang, bùshì xiánqì róngmào, jiùshì xiánqì jiāshì, yīgè yě kàn bù shàng. lǎo xiùcái wú nài, zhǐ hǎo kǔ kǒu póbō dì quàn dào: “ér a, nán dà xū hūn, zhè shì tiānlǐ rénqíng, nǐ zǒng bù néng yībèizi bù qǔ qī shēng zǐ ba?” zhāng dà láng yījiù yáotóu bù yǔ, jìxù máitóu kǔ dú. lǎo xiùcái jiàn tā rúcǐ chí'ǎo, qì de zhí duò jiǎo. yī rì, cūn lǐ lái le wèi yúnyóu sìhǎi de dàozhǎng, lǎo xiùcái biàn kěnqiú dàozhǎng bāngmáng quàn quàn zhāng dà láng. dàozhǎng jiàn zhāng dà láng bó wén qiáng shí, biàn yǔ tā tánlùn qǐ rén shēng dà shì. dàozhǎng shuō dào: “rén shēng zài shì, bù zhǐ dú shū, yě yào xiǎngshòu shēnghuó, nán dà xū hūn, chéngjiā lìyè cái shì rén shēng zhèng dào.” zhāng dà láng tīng hòu, ruò yǒu suǒ sī, zhōng yú dāyìng kǎolǜ hūnshì. hòulái, zhāng dà láng qǔ le yī wèi xiánhuì de qīzi, shēnghuó xìngfú měimǎn, yě jiànjiàn tǐhuì dào jiātíng de wēn nuǎn.

Once upon a time, in a certain village in ancient China, there lived an old scholar who had only one son, named Zhang Dailang. Zhang Dailang was a young man of eighteen, handsome and intelligent. However, he was arrogant and disliked associating with others, devoting himself entirely to the study of classic texts. Seeing that his neighbors and friends all had many children, the old scholar became very worried and searched everywhere for a way to marry off Zhang Dailang. But Zhang Dailang rejected all the girls brought by the matchmakers, either because of their appearance or their family background. Helpless, the old scholar tried to persuade him: "My son, a man should marry when he is old enough, that's the natural order of things, you can't remain unmarried your whole life!" Zhang Dailang just shook his head and continued reading. The old scholar was furious at his stubbornness. One day, a wandering Taoist came to the village, and the old scholar pleaded with him to persuade Zhang Dailang. The Taoist, admiring Zhang Dailang's knowledge, talked to him about important things in life. The Taoist said: "In life, one should not only study, but also enjoy life, a man should marry when he is old enough, establishing a family and career is the right path in life." Zhang Dailang pondered this and finally agreed to consider marriage. Later, Zhang Dailang married a wise wife, lived happily ever after, and gradually came to understand the warmth of family.

Usage

用于形容男子到了适婚年龄应该结婚。

yòng yú xíngróng nánzǐ dào le shìhūn niánlíng yīnggāi jiéhūn.

Used to describe that a man should get married when he is of marriageable age.

Examples

• 男大须婚，这是天经地义的事。

  nán dà xū hūn, zhè shì tiānjīng dìyì de shì.

  It's only natural for a man to get married when he comes of age.

• 到了适婚年龄，男大须婚，女大须嫁。

  dào le shìhūn niánlíng, nán dà xū hūn, nǚ dà xū jià.

  When men come of age, they should marry, and women should marry when they come of age.

Related Idioms

• 男大当婚

• 适婚年龄

Opposite Idioms

• 独身主义

• 终身不娶