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喜爱 (xǐ ài) — to like (strongly); to love; to be fond of

Definition

喜爱 is the formal/written equivalent of 喜欢 — same meaning but more literary. Stronger than 爱's casual use, weaker than 热爱.

verb
to like (strongly)to loveto be fond of

Examples

  • 喜爱。
    Wǒ xǐ ài zhè běn shū.
    I love this book.
  • 喜爱。
    Tā xǐ ài tīng yīn yuè.
    She likes listening to music.
  • 喜爱。
    Zhè shì wǒ zuì xǐ ài de huā.
    This is my favorite flower.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

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

喜xǐlike; joy
爱àilove

喜 and 爱 both express liking or love, so it means to like strongly.

Characters in this word

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

喜 combines 壴, a drum, with 口, a mouth.

Open 喜 →

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 愛; 爱 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
心心xīnheart
Sound part声符shēngfú
旡
旡jì愛ài
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

For the traditional form 愛, an older shape paired 心 (heart) with 旡 as its sound part; later a foot-like 夊 was added below. The simplified 爱 is a later variant that replaces the lower part with 友.

Open 爱 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 3Emotions & Feelings5000 Most Frequent Chinese Words

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