duàn
xián

idiom
archaic
literary

Meaning of 断弦

断弦 means to lose one's wife (said of a husband). Pronounced duàn xián.

  • to lose one's wife (said of a husband)

Definitions & Examples

zhōng
nián
duàn
xián
 
zhí
wèi
zài
 

He lost his wife in middle age and never remarried.

rén
duàn
xián
 
xián
sàng
zài
 

The ancients used "breaking a string" and "re-stringing" as metaphors for losing a wife and remarrying.

Duàn
xián
zài
 
qíng
jiān
 

Remarrying after losing a wife is an emotionally difficult process.

Relations