---
title: "Chinese Idioms about Family: 22 Chengyu With Pinyin and Audio"
description: "22 Chinese idioms (chengyu) about family, like 家破人亡 (family ruined and members dead) and 红杏出墙 ((of a wife) to have an affair), each with pinyin, meaning and sound. Keep them in one press or print them as flashcards."
canonical: "https://mandarinthewild.com/chinese-idioms/family"
author: "Mandarin The Wild"
---

[Chinese idioms](https://mandarinthewild.com/chinese-idioms) · 22 idioms

# Chinese idioms about family

Chengyu whose meaning is about family, each with pinyin, meaning and sound.

[Print as flashcards](https://mandarinthewild.com/chinese-flashcards?level=mine&words=%E5%AE%B6%E7%A0%B4%E4%BA%BA%E4%BA%A1%20%E7%BA%A2%E6%9D%8F%E5%87%BA%E5%A2%99%20%E8%B4%A4%E5%A6%BB%E8%89%AF%E6%AF%8D%20%E7%B3%9F%E7%B3%A0%E4%B9%8B%E5%A6%BB%20%E4%BC%A0%E5%AE%97%E6%8E%A5%E4%BB%A3%20%E6%B5%AA%E5%AD%90%E5%9B%9E%E5%A4%B4%20%E5%B0%8F%E5%AE%B6%E7%A2%A7%E7%8E%89%20%E5%A6%BB%E7%A6%BB%E5%AD%90%E6%95%A3%20%E5%8F%91%E5%AE%B6%E8%87%B4%E5%AF%8C%20%E4%BB%8E%E4%B8%80%E8%80%8C%E7%BB%88%20%E9%87%8D%E7%94%B7%E8%BD%BB%E5%A5%B3%20%E5%A4%A9%E4%B9%8B%E9%AA%84%E5%AD%90%20%E5%85%BB%E5%AE%B6%E7%B3%8A%E5%8F%A3%20%E6%83%85%E5%90%8C%E6%89%8B%E8%B6%B3%20%E6%9C%9B%E5%AD%90%E6%88%90%E9%BE%99%20%E4%B8%80%E5%AE%B6%E8%80%81%E5%B0%8F%20%E7%9C%9F%E5%91%BD%E5%A4%A9%E5%AD%90%20%E8%BA%AB%E5%AE%B6%E6%80%A7%E5%91%BD%20%E4%B9%A6%E9%A6%99%E9%97%A8%E7%AC%AC%20%E5%9B%9B%E6%B5%B7%E4%B8%80%E5%AE%B6%20%E5%B0%8F%E5%BA%B7%E4%B9%8B%E5%AE%B6%20%E5%AD%9D%E5%AD%90%E8%B4%A4%E5%AD%99)

- [家破人亡jiāpò-rénwángfamily ruined and members dead](https://mandarinthewild.com/words/%E5%AE%B6%E7%A0%B4%E4%BA%BA%E4%BA%A1)
- [红杏出墙hóngxìng-chūqiáng(of a wife) to have an affair](https://mandarinthewild.com/words/%E7%BA%A2%E6%9D%8F%E5%87%BA%E5%A2%99)
- [贤妻良母xiánqī-liángmǔgood wife and loving mother](https://mandarinthewild.com/words/%E8%B4%A4%E5%A6%BB%E8%89%AF%E6%AF%8D)
- [糟糠之妻zāokāng-zhīqīwife who shared one's poverty](https://mandarinthewild.com/words/%E7%B3%9F%E7%B3%A0%E4%B9%8B%E5%A6%BB)
- [传宗接代chuánzōng-jiēdàito carry on the family line](https://mandarinthewild.com/words/%E4%BC%A0%E5%AE%97%E6%8E%A5%E4%BB%A3)
- [浪子回头làngzǐ-huítóuthe return of the prodigal son](https://mandarinthewild.com/words/%E6%B5%AA%E5%AD%90%E5%9B%9E%E5%A4%B4)
- [小家碧玉xiǎojiā-bìyùa pretty girl from a humble family](https://mandarinthewild.com/words/%E5%B0%8F%E5%AE%B6%E7%A2%A7%E7%8E%89)
- [妻离子散qīlí-zǐsànfamily broken up and scattered](https://mandarinthewild.com/words/%E5%A6%BB%E7%A6%BB%E5%AD%90%E6%95%A3)
- [发家致富fājiā-zhìfùto make a family fortune](https://mandarinthewild.com/words/%E5%8F%91%E5%AE%B6%E8%87%B4%E5%AF%8C)
- [从一而终cóngyī-érzhōngto remain faithful to one's husband till death](https://mandarinthewild.com/words/%E4%BB%8E%E4%B8%80%E8%80%8C%E7%BB%88)
- [重男轻女zhòngnán-qīngnǚto prefer sons to daughters](https://mandarinthewild.com/words/%E9%87%8D%E7%94%B7%E8%BD%BB%E5%A5%B3)
- [天之骄子tiānzhī-jiāozǐfavored son](https://mandarinthewild.com/words/%E5%A4%A9%E4%B9%8B%E9%AA%84%E5%AD%90)
- [养家糊口yǎngjiā-húkǒuto support one's family](https://mandarinthewild.com/words/%E5%85%BB%E5%AE%B6%E7%B3%8A%E5%8F%A3)
- [情同手足qíngtóng-shǒuzúas close as brothers](https://mandarinthewild.com/words/%E6%83%85%E5%90%8C%E6%89%8B%E8%B6%B3)
- [望子成龙wàngzǐ-chénglóngto hope one's child will succeed](https://mandarinthewild.com/words/%E6%9C%9B%E5%AD%90%E6%88%90%E9%BE%99)
- [一家老小yījiā-lǎoxiǎothe whole family, young and old](https://mandarinthewild.com/words/%E4%B8%80%E5%AE%B6%E8%80%81%E5%B0%8F)
- [真命天子zhēnmìng-tiānzǐtrue Son of Heaven](https://mandarinthewild.com/words/%E7%9C%9F%E5%91%BD%E5%A4%A9%E5%AD%90)
- [身家性命shēnjiā-xìngmìngone's own life and one's family's lives](https://mandarinthewild.com/words/%E8%BA%AB%E5%AE%B6%E6%80%A7%E5%91%BD)
- [书香门第shūxiāng-méndìscholarly family](https://mandarinthewild.com/words/%E4%B9%A6%E9%A6%99%E9%97%A8%E7%AC%AC)
- [四海一家sìhǎi-yījiāthe whole world is one family](https://mandarinthewild.com/words/%E5%9B%9B%E6%B5%B7%E4%B8%80%E5%AE%B6)
- [小康之家xiǎokāng-zhījiācomfortably off family](https://mandarinthewild.com/words/%E5%B0%8F%E5%BA%B7%E4%B9%8B%E5%AE%B6)
- [孝子贤孙xiàozǐ-xiánsūnfilial sons and worthy grandsons](https://mandarinthewild.com/words/%E5%AD%9D%E5%AD%90%E8%B4%A4%E5%AD%99)

## What is a Chinese idiom about family?

家破人亡 (jiāpò-rénwáng): family ruined and members dead. It is the most common of the 22 on this page.

## What is a chengyu?

A set phrase, nearly always four characters, that packs a story or an image into a few words: 画蛇添足, “drawing legs on a snake”, means spoiling something by overdoing it. Chinese speakers use them in writing, speeches and everyday talk.

## More free tools

- [Chengyu quiz](https://mandarinthewild.com/chengyu-quiz)
- [Every chengyu](https://mandarinthewild.com/words/chengyu)
- [Chinese dictionary](https://mandarinthewild.com/chinese-dictionary)
- [Chinese grammar](https://mandarinthewild.com/chinese-grammar)

Chengyu from the Xinhua idiom list; meanings from our own dictionary. Open one for its characters and real sentences.