添丁进口
tiān dīng jìn kǒu
the family grows (by a birth or a marriage)
Character by character
添tiān
add
add
丁dīng
man
man
进jìn
bring in
bring in
口kǒu
mouth
mouth
Example
今年老李家添丁进口，儿子娶了媳妇，年底又抱上了孙子。
The Lis’ family grew this year: their son married, and by the end of the year they had a grandson to hold.
Tone: positive (praise).
Usage and origin
丁 was a man of the household and 口 a person to feed, so 添丁 once meant the birth of a son. Today the phrase greets any addition to the family, usually a baby and sometimes a bride, in congratulations and festive greetings.
Learn this in Lesson 43 · HSK 5–6: 坐月子与抓周 (A baby’s first year)
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.
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