白頭偕老

See also: 白头偕老

Chinese

		hoary head; white hair; whitehead	to live together to a ripe old age; to grow old together
trad. (白頭偕老)		白頭	偕老
simp. (白头偕老)		白头	偕老

Pronunciation

Mandarin
(Pinyin): báitóuxiélǎo

(Zhuyin): ㄅㄞˊ ㄊㄡˊ ㄒㄧㄝˊ ㄌㄠˇ
Cantonese (Jyutping): baak⁶ tau⁴ gaai¹ lou⁵
Southern Min
(Hokkien, POJ): pe̍k-thô͘-kai-ló / pe̍k-thiô-kai-nó͘ / pe̍h-thiô-kai-nó͘ / pe̍k-thâu-kai-nó͘ / pe̍h-thâu-kai-ló

(Teochew, Peng'im): bêh⁸ tao⁵ hai⁵ lao²

Mandarin
- (Standard Chinese)⁺
  - Hanyu Pinyin: báitóuxiélǎo
  - Zhuyin: ㄅㄞˊ ㄊㄡˊ ㄒㄧㄝˊ ㄌㄠˇ
  - Tongyong Pinyin: báitóusiélǎo
  - Wade–Giles: pai²-tʻou²-hsieh²-lao³
  - Yale: bái-tóu-syé-lǎu
  - Gwoyeu Romatzyh: bairtourshyelao
  - Palladius: байтоуселао (bajtouselao)
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /paɪ̯³⁵ tʰoʊ̯³⁵ ɕi̯ɛ³⁵ lɑʊ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹⁽⁴⁾/
Cantonese
- (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)⁺
  - Jyutping: baak⁶ tau⁴ gaai¹ lou⁵
  - Yale: baahk tàuh gāai lóuh
  - Cantonese Pinyin: baak⁹ tau⁴ gaai¹ lou⁵
  - Guangdong Romanization: bag⁶ teo⁴ gai¹ lou⁵
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /paːk̚² tʰɐu̯²¹ kaːi̯⁵⁵ lou̯¹³/
Southern Min
- (Hokkien: Xiamen)
  - Pe̍h-ōe-jī: pe̍k-thô͘-kai-ló
  - Tâi-lô: pi̍k-thôo-kai-ló
  - Phofsit Daibuun: pegto'kailoir
  - IPA (Xiamen): /piɪk̚⁴⁻³² tʰɔ²⁴ kai⁴⁴⁻²² lo⁵³/
- (Hokkien: General Taiwanese)
  - Pe̍h-ōe-jī: pe̍k-thiô-kai-nó͘
  - Tâi-lô: pi̍k-thiô-kai-nóo
  - Phofsit Daibuun: pegtioi'kainor
  - IPA (Kaohsiung): /piɪk̚⁴⁻³² tʰiɤ²³ kai⁴⁴⁻³³ nɔ̃⁴¹/
  - IPA (Taipei): /piɪk̚⁴⁻³² tʰio²⁴ kai⁴⁴⁻³³ nɔ̃⁵³/
- (Hokkien: variant in Taiwan)
  - Pe̍h-ōe-jī: pe̍h-thiô-kai-nó͘
  - Tâi-lô: pe̍h-thiô-kai-nóo
  - Phofsit Daibuun: peqtioi'kainor
  - IPA (Kaohsiung): /pe(ʔ)⁴⁻²¹ tʰiɤ²³ kai⁴⁴⁻³³ nɔ̃⁴¹/
  - IPA (Taipei): /pe(ʔ)⁴⁻¹¹ tʰio²⁴ kai⁴⁴⁻³³ nɔ̃⁵³/
- (Hokkien: variant in Taiwan)
  - Pe̍h-ōe-jī: pe̍k-thâu-kai-nó͘
  - Tâi-lô: pi̍k-thâu-kai-nóo
  - Phofsit Daibuun: pegtau'kainor
  - IPA (Taipei): /piɪk̚⁴⁻³² tʰau²⁴ kai⁴⁴⁻³³ nɔ̃⁵³/
  - IPA (Kaohsiung): /piɪk̚⁴⁻³² tʰau²³ kai⁴⁴⁻³³ nɔ̃⁴¹/
- (Hokkien: variant in Taiwan)
  - Pe̍h-ōe-jī: pe̍h-thâu-kai-ló
  - Tâi-lô: pe̍h-thâu-kai-ló
  - Phofsit Daibuun: peqtau'kailoir
  - IPA (Taipei): /pe(ʔ)⁴⁻¹¹ tʰau²⁴ kai⁴⁴⁻³³ lo⁵³/
  - IPA (Kaohsiung): /pe(ʔ)⁴⁻²¹ tʰau²³ kai⁴⁴⁻³³ lɤ⁴¹/
- (Teochew)
  - Peng'im: bêh⁸ tao⁵ hai⁵ lao²
  - Pe̍h-ōe-jī-like: pe̍h thâu hâi láu
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /peʔ⁴⁻² tʰau⁵⁵⁻¹¹ hai⁵⁵⁻¹¹ lau⁵²/

Idiom

白頭偕老

to live together till old age; to live to a ripe old age in conjugal bliss (until death do us part); to remain happily married to a ripe old age
- 獨怪老年夫婦相視如仇者，不知何意？或曰：「非如是，焉得白頭偕老哉？」斯言誠然歟？ [Literary Chinese, trad.]
  独怪老年夫妇相视如仇者，不知何意？或曰：「非如是，焉得白头偕老哉？」斯言诚然欤？ [Literary Chinese, simp.]
  From: w:Shen Fu, Six Records of a Floating Life, late 18^th century CE– early 19^th century CE
  Dú guài lǎonián fūfù xiāngshì rú chóu zhě, bùzhī héyì? Huòyuē: “Fēi rúshì, yān dé báitóuxiélǎo zāi?” Sī yán chéng rán yú? [Pinyin]
  The strangest thing to me was how old couples seemed to treat one another like enemies. I did not understand why. Yet people said, ‘Otherwise, how could they remain devoted to each other throughout their lives?’ Could this be true? I wondered.