天作之合
tiān zuò zhī hé
a match made in heaven
Character by character
天tiān
heaven
heaven
作zuò
make
make
之zhī
’s
’s
合hé
union
union
Example
一个爱写歌词，一个爱作曲，朋友们都说他俩是天作之合。
One loves writing lyrics, the other composing: their friends all say they are a match made in heaven.
Tone: positive (praise).
Usage and origin
From the 《诗经》 (Daya, “Daming”), of the marriage of King Wen of Zhou. A standard compliment in wedding speeches and on wedding cards (天作之合，白头偕老); also used of perfect partners in work or business, sometimes with a wink.
Learn this in Lesson 151 · HSK 7–9: 人民公园相亲角 (The marriage market in People’s Park)
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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