天作之合

Chinese

		day; sky; heaven	to regard as; to take (someone) for; to do to regard as; to take (someone) for; to do; to make	's; him/her/it; this	to close; to gather; to join to close; to gather; to join; to fit; all; together
simp. and trad. (天作之合)		天	作	之	合

Etymology

From the Classic of Poetry, poem 236 (《詩經·大雅·大明》):

天監在下，有命既集。
文王初載，天作之合。 [Pre-Classical Chinese, trad.]

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天监在下，有命既集。
文王初载，天作之合。 [Pre-Classical Chinese, simp.]

From: The Classic of Poetry, c. 11^th – 7^th centuries BCE, translated based on James Legge's version

Tiān jiān zàixià, yǒu mìng jì jí.
Wénwáng chū zǎi, tiān zuò zhī hé. [Pinyin]

Heaven surveyed this lower world; And its appointment lighted [on king Wen].
In his early years, It made for him a mate.

Pronunciation

• Mandarin

  (Pinyin): tiānzuòzhīhé

  (Zhuyin): ㄊㄧㄢ ㄗㄨㄛˋ ㄓ ㄏㄜˊ

• Cantonese (Jyutping): tin¹ zok³ zi¹ hap⁶
• Southern Min (Hokkien, POJ): thian-chok-chi-ha̍p

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• Mandarin
  • (Standard Chinese)⁺
    • Hanyu Pinyin: tiānzuòzhīhé
    • Zhuyin: ㄊㄧㄢ ㄗㄨㄛˋ ㄓ ㄏㄜˊ
    • Tongyong Pinyin: tianzuòjhihhé
    • Wade–Giles: tʻien¹-tso⁴-chih¹-ho²
    • Yale: tyān-dzwò-jr̄-hé
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: tiantzuohjyher
    • Palladius: тяньцзочжихэ (tjanʹczočžixɛ)
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /tʰi̯ɛn⁵⁵ t͡su̯ɔ⁵¹ ʈ͡ʂʐ̩⁵⁵ xɤ³⁵/
• Cantonese
  • (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)⁺
    • Jyutping: tin¹ zok³ zi¹ hap⁶
    • Yale: tīn jok jī hahp
    • Cantonese Pinyin: tin¹ dzok⁸ dzi¹ hap⁹
    • Guangdong Romanization: tin¹ zog³ ji¹ heb⁶
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /tʰiːn⁵⁵ t͡sɔːk̚³ t͡siː⁵⁵ hɐp̚²/
• Southern Min
  • (Hokkien)
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī: thian-chok-chi-ha̍p
    • Tâi-lô: thian-tsok-tsi-ha̍p
    • Phofsit Daibuun: tienzokci'hap
    • IPA (Xiamen): /tʰiɛn⁴⁴⁻²² t͡sɔk̚³²⁻⁴ t͡si⁴⁴⁻²² hap̚⁴/
    • IPA (Quanzhou): /tʰiɛn³³ t͡sɔk̚⁵⁻²⁴ t͡si³³ hap̚²⁴/
    • IPA (Zhangzhou): /tʰiɛn⁴⁴⁻²² t͡sɔk̚³²⁻⁵ t͡si⁴⁴⁻²² hap̚¹²¹/
    • IPA (Taipei): /tʰiɛn⁴⁴⁻³³ t͡sɔk̚³²⁻⁴ t͡si⁴⁴⁻³³ hap̚⁴/
    • IPA (Kaohsiung): /tʰiɛn⁴⁴⁻³³ t͡sɔk̚³²⁻⁴ t͡si⁴⁴⁻³³ hap̚⁴/

Idiom

天作之合

1. heaven-made match; a match made in heaven