bái白whitetóu头headxié偕togetherlǎo老old
Grow old together — until your heads are both white with age.
Literal meaning
white (白) — head (头) — together (偕) — old (老)
Origin
Rooted in the Book of Songs (《诗经》), the oldest Chinese poetry collection. Several poems use the image of a couple aging side by side as the highest expression of marital devotion. The phrase 白头偕老 crystallised from those images into the standard wedding-blessing idiom. Today it's the canonical line written in wedding cards, congratulatory banners, and toasts.
Examples
Zhù祝nǐ你men们bái白tóu头xié偕lǎo老。
Wishing you a long life together.
Tā他men们yǐ已jīng经bái白tóu头xié偕lǎo老wǔ五shí十nián年le了。
They've already grown old together for fifty years.
Usage & nuances
Almost exclusively a wedding / anniversary blessing. Wouldn't apply to friendship or non-romantic partnerships.
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