Definition
相亲 refers to a formal blind date arranged by family or matchmakers, with the explicit purpose of evaluating each other as potential marriage partners. It's a distinctive social practice in Chinese culture, different from casual dating. The word is a separable verb (离合词): when adding experience markers, measure words, or duration, the two characters split apart — for example, 相过亲 ('have been on a blind date'), 相了一次亲 ('went on one blind date'). The second, rarer sense 'to be deeply attached to each other' comes from classical usage and is rarely encountered in modern conversation.
v.p.
to go on a blind date (for the purpose of finding a marriage partner)(literary) to be deeply attached to each other
Examples
- 相亲，。Tā jīntiān qù xiāng qīn le, xīwàng yùdào héshì de rén.She went on a blind date today, hoping to meet the right person.
- ，。Wǒ biǎomèi xiàng guò sān cì qīn, hái méi zhǎodào nánpéngyou.My cousin has been on three blind dates and still hasn't found a boyfriend.
- ，相亲。Zài Zhōngguó, xiāng qīn shì hěnduō niánqīngrén rènshi duìxiàng de fāngshì zhī yī.In China, blind dating is one of the ways many young people meet partners.
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