The so-called "couple" refers to "couple." But in ancient dictionaries such as "Erya" and "Shuowen Jiezi," there is no "couple." Even in the "Dream of Red Mansions" written by Cao Xueqin and others during the Qianlong period of the Qing Dynasty, although there are a couple, no couple refers to "couple". So, why is "couple" commonly known as "couple"? There are two reasons:

It is said that as early as the Qianlong period of the Qing Dynasty, there was a talented poor scholar named Zhang Jixian in Shandong. Although this person was talented and ambitious, due to his poor family, he was not married in his twenties. One day, when he met a married woman named Zeng Suzhen, he fell in love at first sight and has often been in secret since then, but there has been no transgression. Soon after Zeng Suzhen's husband, a rich son named Shi Wancang, died of excessive alcoholism, the Shi family insisted that Zeng Suzhen colluded with Zhang Jixian to kill Shi Wancang and sued the county yamen.

Due to the fact that the magistrate did not ask indiscriminately, Zhang Jixian and Zeng Suzhen suffered unjust injustice, were sentenced and sent to the death row in the capital. In such circumstances, Zhang Jixian filed a "royal petition" and sent a handwritten and elegant poster to Emperor Qianlong's desk through relevant people.

After Emperor Qianlong saw Zhang Jixian's figure paper, he "cherished and cherished", so he personally went to the death row to see Zhang Jixian and interviewed him for his writing. After thinking that Zhang Jixian was indeed a rare talent, the imperial approval sent Zhang Zeng and the two back to Shandong for detention. Not long after, when Emperor Qianlong passed through Shandong halfway down the Yangtze River, he suddenly thought of Zhang Jixian, so the imperial approval sent Zhang Jixian to a place called Crouching Tiger Mouth, and Zeng Suzhen to a place called Black Trend. After Zhang Jixian and Zeng Suzhen were sent, because the two places were not far apart, today he went to Black Trend, and tomorrow she came to Crouching Tiger Mouth, and the old love continued and came and went. So some people who knew the details of the two called the two "couples."

Later, the story of Zhang Jixian and Zeng Suzhen was passed down ten times, and it spread ten times, and "couple" (also known as "couple") became synonymous with "couple", and has been used until now.

Second, it is said that "couple" is used to refer to "husband and wife." From a note in the book "Yanjing Miscellaneous Records" (author unknown) during the Qianlong period of the Qing Dynasty, it is said that there are two government officials who earn more than one salary every month. When one of them marries a wife, the other who is still a "bachelor" takes the initiative to give half of his salary to his colleagues who married his wife to spend, and writes on the attached note: "A little broken silver money, accept it with a smile and don't refuse; I am only a single man, and you are a couple." Because "son" was called both men and women in the old days, which meant "two of you", later "couple" no longer refers to the casual "two people", but became the name of husband and wife.

Because "couple" is easy and close to life, people later created "little couple" from "couple" to refer to young couples, and "old couple" to refer to old couples.