「天要下（落）雨，娘要嫁人」，這是中國民間的一句俗話，用來比喻必然發生、無法阻擋的事情。那麼這句話是怎麼來的，其中的「娘」又是什麼意思呢？
關於這句俗語，有一個傳說。
古時候有個名叫朱耀宗的書生，天資聰慧，滿腹經綸，進京趕考高中狀元。皇上殿試時，見他不僅才華橫溢，而且長得一表人才，便將他招為駙馬，把心愛的女兒嫁給了他。
「春風得意馬蹄疾」，循慣例朱耀宗一身錦繡新貴還鄉。臨行前，朱耀宗奏明皇上，提起他的母親如何含辛茹苦，如何從小將他培養成人，母子倆如何相依為命，請求皇上為他多年守寡、一直不嫁的母親樹立貞節牌坊。皇上聞言甚喜，心中更加喜愛此乘龍快婿，即準允所奏。朱耀宗喜滋滋地日夜兼程，回家拜見母親。
當朱耀宗向娘述說了樹立貞節牌坊一事後，原本歡天喜地的朱母一下子驚呆了，臉上露出不安的神色來，欲言又止，似有難言之隱。朱耀宗大惑不解，驚愕地問：「娘，您老哪兒不舒服？」
「心口痛著哩。」
「怎麼說痛就痛起來了？」
「兒呀！」朱母大放悲聲，「你不知道做寡婦的痛苦，長夜秉燭，垂淚天明，好不容易將你熬出了頭！娘現在想著有個伴兒安度後半生。有件事我如今告訴你，娘要改嫁，這貞節牌坊我是無論如何不能接受的。」
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「娘，您要嫁誰？」
「你的恩師張文舉。」
聽了娘的回答，好似晴天一聲炸雷，毫無思想準備的朱耀宗頓時被擊倒了，「撲通」一下跪在了娘的面前：「娘，這千萬使不得。您若改嫁，叫兒的臉面往哪兒擱？再說，這『欺君之罪』，難免殺身之禍啊！」
朱母一時語塞，在兒子和改嫁之間無法做到兩全其美。
▶點擊閱讀：粉象生活是什麼？
原來，朱耀宗8歲時喪父，朱母陳秀英強忍年輕喪夫的悲痛，她見兒子聰明好學、讀書用功，便特意聘請當地有名的秀才張文舉執教家中。
由於張文舉教育有方，朱耀宗學業長進很快。朱母歡喜，對張文舉愈加敬重。朝夕相處，長年累月，張文舉的人品和才華深深打動了陳秀英的芳心，張文舉對溫柔賢惠的陳秀英也產生了愛慕之情，兩人商定，待到朱耀宗成家立業後即正式結婚，白首偕老。殊不料，這樁姻緣卻要被蒙在鼓裡的朱耀宗無意中攪黃了，出現了這樣尷尬的局面。
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解鈴還須繫鈴人。正值左右為難之際，朱母不由長嘆一聲：「那就聽天由命吧。」她說著隨手解下身上一件羅裙，告訴朱耀宗說，「明天你替我把裙子洗乾淨，曬一天一夜。如果裙子曬乾，我便答應不改嫁；如果裙子不幹，天意如此，你也就不用再阻攔了。」
這一天晴空朗日，朱耀宗心想這事並不難做，便點頭同意。誰知當夜便陰雲密布，天明下起了暴雨，裙子始終是溼漉漉的，朱耀宗心中叫苦不迭，知是天意。
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陳秀英則認認真真地對兒子說：「孩子，天要下雨，娘要嫁人，天意不可違！」
事已至此，多說無益。朱耀宗只得將母親和恩師的婚事如實報告了皇上，請皇上治罪。皇上連連稱奇，降道御旨：「不知者不怪罪，天作之合，由她去吧。」
這個故事的真實性是存在疑問的。
歷朝歷代的文狀元、武狀元，甚至文進士、武進士，都是有案可查的，一個不落地全都登記在檔案裡。朱耀宗是誰？不必狀元，有任何一個進士、舉人、駙馬，名字是叫朱耀宗的麼？結果是查無此人。
密麻麻密密麻麻密密麻麻密密麻麻密99999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999密麻麻密密麻麻密9999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999密麻麻密密麻麻密密麻麻密密麻麻密密麻麻嗎天然夠不夠嘎嘎嘎嘎嘎嘎嘎嘎嘎嘎嘎嘎嘎嘎嘎嘎嘎嘎嘎嘎嘎嘎嘎嘎嘎嘎嘎嘎嘎嘎嘎嘎嘎男男女女
▶點擊閱讀：粉象生活是什麼？
同時讀這句俗語，稍加推敲，就會發覺這種解釋很難講通：「天要下雨」乃自然之理，必然之勢；母親是已嫁之人，難道還非得再嫁、改嫁不可？「娘要嫁」既然與「天要下雨」並列，兩者一定具有邏輯上的相似點，這樣方能合起來構成同義比喻，共同說明一個道理。
比如用「六月飛雪公雞下蛋」來比喻不可能發生的事情，「六月飛雪」與「公雞下蛋」具有相似點，屬同義比喻，所以兩者能夠合說並舉。準此分析，「娘」顯然不能解作母親。
其實，「娘」字的本義是少女、未出嫁的姑娘。
密麻麻密密麻麻密密麻麻密密麻麻密99999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999密麻麻密密麻麻密9999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999密麻麻密密麻麻密密麻麻密密麻麻密密麻麻嗎天然夠不夠嘎嘎嘎嘎嘎嘎嘎嘎嘎嘎嘎嘎嘎嘎嘎嘎嘎嘎嘎嘎嘎嘎嘎嘎嘎嘎嘎嘎嘎嘎嘎嘎嘎男男女女
唐白居易《對酒自勉》詩：「夜舞吳娘袖，春歌蠻子詞。」
元王實甫《西廂記》第一本第三折：「可喜娘的臉兒百媚生，兀的不引了人魂靈！」
明孫仁孺《東郭記》第十一出：「俊嬌娘，如何不教人兒想。」
眾所周知的武則天，唐太宗看起了她的才華，就封她為武媚娘，授封時她還是一個未出嫁的姑娘，至到後來才成了唐太宗的妃子。
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像電影《杜十娘》，杜十娘就是一個還沒出嫁的姑娘，她愛上了書生，卻被書生拋棄，最後投河自盡。
其他人名如宛娘、紅娘，詞語如娘子、姑娘、嬌娘、新娘，中的「娘」都是這個意思。
今寧波方言管女孩為「小娘」，「娘」字猶存古義；日本漢字「娘」仍用作少女之稱，而不是指母親。
當母親講的「娘」本作「孃」，因簡化字後「孃」與娘字合併，因而「孃」算作繁體。
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「孃」「娘」原是兩個不同的字，《玉篇·女部》：「孃，母也。娘，少女之號。」
《廣韻·陽韻》：「孃，母稱。娘，少女之號。」
故「爺娘」（或「耶娘」）本作「爺孃」，如古樂府《木蘭詩》：「爺孃聞女來，出郭相扶將。」
唐杜甫《兵車行》：「耶孃妻子走相送，塵埃不見鹹陽橋。」
「孃」「娘」二字在敦煌寫本中已見混用，後世則多以「娘」為「孃」；一般人見「娘」即認「母」，這正是造成對「天要下雨娘要嫁人」的「娘」字費解、誤解的原因。
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那麼天要下雨，和女孩出嫁又有什麼關係呢？
清人王有光《吳下諺聯》卷二「天要落雨娘要嫁人」條云：「天，純陽無陰，要落雨則陽之求陰也；娘，孤陰無陽，要嫁人則陰之求陽也。如矢赴的，如漿點腐，其理如是，其勢如是。」
這兩個詞都是有陰陽結合的意思，從「娘，孤陰無陽」的說解看，他顯然是把「娘」當作未婚女子的，如果是已婚的「母親」，則不能說「孤陰無陽」了。
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常言道：「男大當婚，女大當嫁。」，姑娘嫁人合乎天理人道，是人類社會的必然規律；而「天要下雨」則是自然界的必然規律。正是基於這種邏輯上的相似點，人們把兩者合在一起，使之相輔相成，相得益彰，成為一句很有表現力的民間俗語。