- English translation
Marrying into a family makes you family.
- Literal wording
Relation by marriage is kinship.
- Meaning and lesson
The saying holds that a bond formed through marriage, rather than blood descent, carries the weight of a family tie. Once two households are joined by a wedding, their members are expected to treat one another with the loyalty, support, and familiarity normally reserved for relatives by birth.
It can also serve as a reminder or a mild rebuke. Someone may invoke it to urge an in-law to act generously, or to justify relying on marriage connections. It expresses a hope rather than a rule: such ties are understood to have exceptions, and not every in-law behaves like kin.
- When it is used
Suitable when someone stresses obligations or closeness toward in-laws, for example urging help for a spouse's relatives or welcoming a new family joined by marriage. It suits remarks about mutual duty more than literal statements about legal relationship.
Cite or copy proverb
How this record reached us: Editorially sourced.
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