两口子 - liang kou zi

In Chinese, the term “两口子 (liǎnɡ kǒu zi)” refers to couples, wife and husband. Different from 夫妻 (fū qī), which is more of a written language, the depiction of husband and wife in the term " liang kou zi" is often used in spoken Chinese and always accompanied by a soft and sweet tone.

两口子 liang kou zi, another way of saying "wife and husband"

Where did the term originate? Despite the many editions of stories behind this term, one commonly accepted one is that in the late Qing Dynasty (1664-1912 AD), there were two men working in the state office. One was single and the other newly married. One day, the single man voluntarily proposed sharing half of his wage with the newly-married couple, "Please do not refuse the money since I am only one person but you are ‘liang kou zi." Since then, "liang kou zi" has not been used to mean “two persons”, but as a term for husband and wife.

In ancient China, "zi" meant one person, male or female. “kou” is a measure word for “person”, which is still used the same way in modern Chinese. E.g.

wǒ jiā yǒu sān kǒu rén.

我家有三口人。

I have three people in my family.

zài zhōnɡɡuó, hěnduō liǎnɡkǒuzi zhǐxiǎnɡ shēnɡ yíɡè háizi.

在中国，很多两口子只想生一个孩子。

In China, many couples just want to have one child.

wǒ hé tā búshì liǎnɡkǒuzi, wǒmen zhǐshì pénɡyǒu.

我和他不是两口子，我们只是朋友。

He and I are not a couple. We are just friends.

In Chinese, we also use “小两口” to refer to a newly-married couple.

小两口 xiao liang kou, young couples

E.g.

nà duì xiǎoliǎnɡkǒu hěn mánɡ, méiyǒu shíjiān dù mì yuè.

那对小两口很忙，没有时间度蜜月。

That young couple are too busy to spend honeymoon.

ɡuònián de shíhou, xiǎoliǎnɡkǒu jīnɡchánɡ wèi huí sheíjiā chǎojià.

过年的时候，小两口经常为回谁家吵架。

When it’s Chinese New Year, young couples often quarrel for going whose home for holiday.