吝惜 (lìn xī) — to stint; to be miserly or reluctant to give or use

Definition

To begrudge spending or giving something (time, money, praise) — implies reluctance rather than simply having little. Often used in a negative context, as in '从不吝惜' (never stints).

verb
to stintto be miserly or reluctant to give or use

Examples

  • 吝惜。
    Tā cóng lái bú huì lìn xī zì jǐ de shí jiān bāng zhù bié rén.
    He never stints his own time to help others.
  • 吝惜。
    Zhè ge lǎo bǎn duì yuán gōng jiǎng jīn shí fēn lìn xī.
    This boss is very stingy with employee bonuses.
  • 吝惜。
    Tā cóng bú lìn xī duì hái zi de zàn měi.
    She never stints on praise for her children.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéSide by side

Two parts of equal weight, alike or opposite in meaning, standing side by side.

吝lìnreluctance
惜xīsparing

吝惜 joins 吝, reluctance, with 惜, sparing, to mean stinginess.

Characters in this word

No reliable origin is recorded for this character.

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

Meaning part形符xíngfú
忄Written in full as心xīnheart
Sound part声符shēngfú
昔
昔xī惜⁰xī
Same sound today

惜 has 忄, the heart, and 昔, which gives the sound. 昔 also points to the past or an ending, so the feeling is about something past.

Open 惜 →

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