dié
瓞
small melon; metaphor for prosperous descendants
Tone colorsmāmámǎmàma
Meanings
2 senses · 4 examplesnoun
small melon or gourd
literaryA literary term rarely used in modern spoken Chinese. Its primary modern use is in the classical idiom '绵绵瓜瓞'. The character structure is 瓜 (melon) + 失 (loss), though the phonetic component is less relevant.
《
Shī诗
jīng经
》
yǒu有
yún云
：
“
Mián绵
mián绵
guā瓜
dié瓞
。
”
The Book of Songs says: 'Continuous are the big and small melons.'
Zhè这
ge个
zì字
“
dié瓞
”
zài在
xiàn现
dài代
Hàn汉
yǔ语
zhōng中
hěn很
shǎo少
dān单
dú独
shǐ使
yòng用
。
The character '瓞' is rarely used independently in modern Chinese.
noun
metaphor for successive generations; prosperous descendants
literaryUsed exclusively in the fixed idiom '绵绵瓜瓞' (mián mián guā dié), which describes a family line as continuous and flourishing like melon vines bearing many fruits.
Zhù祝
yuàn愿
guì贵
fǔ府
mián绵
mián绵
guā瓜
dié瓞
，
shì世
dài代
chāng昌
lóng隆
。
I wish your esteemed family continuous prosperity for generations.
“
Mián绵
mián绵
guā瓜
dié瓞
”
shì是
zhù祝
hè贺
jiā家
zú族
xīng兴
wàng旺
de的
jí吉
xiáng祥
huà话
。
'Continuous melon vines' is an auspicious phrase to congratulate a family's prosperity.