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青梅竹马
青梅竹马
青梅竹马
青梅竹马
青梅竹马
青梅竹马
青梅竹马
青梅竹马

青梅竹马 — “Childhood sweethearts”

青梅竹马 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “childhood sweethearts”. A close relationship between a boy and a girl from early childhood. Literally, “green plums and a bamboo horse”.

Frequency

青梅竹马 Pronunciation and Pinyin

  • 青qīng
  • 梅méi
  • 竹zhú
  • 马mǎ

青梅竹马 Character Breakdown

CharacterPinyinStrokesMeaning
青
qīng8green, blue, or young
梅
méi11plum or plum blossom
竹
zhú6bamboo plant or instrument
马
mǎ3horse, big, large

Example Sentence with 青梅竹马

他们从小就是青梅竹马,长大后自然而然地走到了一起。
They have been childhood sweethearts since they were young, and naturally grew together as they got older.

Origin and Story of 青梅竹马

In ancient Jinling City, on Changganli Street, lived two families, each with children. They grew up playing together from a very young age.

The little boy would often ride a bamboo stick as a horse, joyfully running and playing. One day, the girl saw many green plums on a plum tree and asked the boy to pick them for her. The boy happily picked many.

As they grew older, these two children eventually married each other, living a loving and devoted life until old age.

Idioms Related to 青梅竹马

Synonyms of 青梅竹马

  • liǎng两xiǎo小wú无cāi猜innocent childhood sweethearts
  • qīn亲mì密wú无jiān间extremely close and intimate

Antonyms of 青梅竹马

  • bèi背xìn信qì弃yì义betray trust and abandon righteousness

More idioms starting with 青

  • qīng青sī丝bái白mǎ马rebels or insurgents
  • qīng青yún云wàn万lǐ里Boundless and brilliant future
  • qīng青yún云dé得yì意achieve great career success
  • qīng青yún云dé得lù路have a smooth and successful career path
  • qīng青yún云dú独bù步unrivaled in one's field
  • qīng青yún云zhí直shàng上rapidly rise in position
  • qīng青chū出yú于lán蓝The student surpasses the teacher
  • qīng青chū出yú于lán蓝ér而shèng胜yú于lán蓝The student surpasses the teacher
  • qīng青kǒu口bái白shé舌speak carelessly and offensively
  • qīng青shǐ史chuán传míng名earn lasting fame in history
  • qīng青shǐ史chuí垂míng名achieve lasting fame in history
  • qīng青shǐ史biāo标míng名leave a glorious name in history

Questions about 青梅竹马

What does 青梅竹马 mean?
青梅竹马 (qīng méi zhú mǎ) is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “childhood sweethearts”.
How do you pronounce 青梅竹马?
青梅竹马 is pronounced qīng méi zhú mǎ in Mandarin Chinese.
What does 青梅竹马 literally mean?
Literally, 青梅竹马 means “green plums and a bamboo horse”. It is used to mean “childhood sweethearts”.
Where does 青梅竹马 come from?
青梅竹马 comes from a classical Chinese story dating back to ancient China. The full story is on this page.
What is the Chinese definition of 青梅竹马?
青梅:青的梅子;竹马:儿童以竹竿当马骑。形容小儿女天真无邪玩耍游戏的样子。现指男女幼年时亲密无间。
Copy the pinyin for 青梅竹马 →Choose tone marks or tone numbers and copy the complete four-character reading.青梅竹马 is featured in “12 Chinese Idioms About Love and Relationships” →Learn 12 Chinese love idioms with pinyin, precise meanings, usage notes, and examples for attraction, devotion, and lasting relationships.

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