承欢膝下

chéng huān xī xià

to live near one’s parents and keep them happy

Character by character

承chéng
serve

欢huān
joy

膝xī
knee

下xià
below

儿女都在国外工作，老两口身边没有人承欢膝下，过年的时候格外想孩子。

Their children all work abroad, so the old couple have no one at their side, and at New Year they miss them more than ever.

Tone: positive (praise).

Literary: grown children at their parents’ knee. Most often in the negative, said with regret by those who live far away: 不能承欢膝下, 无法承欢膝下.

Learn this in Lesson 46 · HSK 5–6: 孝与顺 (Filial piety)

A dialogue, a reading, word cards with audio and a drill that uses it, in Learn Chinese with Bao. The first lessons of every level are free.