关怀备至 (guān huái bèi zhì) — to show the utmost care and concern; extremely considerate and attentive

Definition

A formal chengyu meaning 'to care for someone in every possible way' — stronger and more literary than everyday 关心, emphasizing thorough, attentive concern (often from a superior or caregiver).

idiom
to show the utmost care and concernextremely considerate and attentive

Examples

  • 关怀备至，。
    Tā duì yuán gōng guān huái bèi zhì, dà jiā dōu fēi cháng gǎn dòng.
    He shows the utmost care for his employees, and everyone is very moved.
  • ，关怀备至。
    Zài nà duàn shí jiān lǐ, péng you duì wǒ guān huái bèi zhì.
    During that time, my friends showed me the utmost care.
  • 关怀备至，。
    Mǔ qīn duì hái zi guān huái bèi zhì, cóng bú xiè dài.
    The mother shows the utmost care for her child, never slacking.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
主谓zhǔwèiSubject + predicate

A small sentence frozen into a word: something, and what it does or is.

关怀care
关guānconcern怀huáicare
联合Side by side
备至utmost
备bèifully至zhìutmost
偏正Modifier + head

关怀 names care and concern, and 备至 adds fully to the utmost, so the sense is utmost solicitude.

Characters in this word

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 關; 关 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
門門méndoor
Sound part声符shēngfú
𢇅
𢇅𢇅關guān
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

For 关, the traditional form 關 shows 門 as a door and 𢇅 as two wooden sticks locking it, with ring-like marks on top.

Open 关 →

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 懷; 怀 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
心心xīnheart
Sound part声符shēngfú
褱
褱huái懷huái
Same sound today

The traditional form 懷 uses 心 (heart) to show longing and 褱 for the sound; the simplified 怀 is a later shorthand.

Open 怀 →

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 備; 备 is its simplified writing.

The traditional form 備 shows a person carrying a quiver, matching the meaning 'ready; prepared'; the simplified 备 is a later abbreviation.

Open 备 →

An abstract idea shown by a mark or a diagram rather than by a picture of an object.

至 is drawn as an arrow stuck into the ground.

Open 至 →

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