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安乐 (ān lè) — peace and happiness, well-being

Definition

As a noun it means 'peace and happiness,' often used in set phrases like 安乐的生活 or 安乐死 (euthanasia), where it refers to a settled, comfortable state rather than active joy.

noun
peace and happinesswell-being

Examples

  • 安乐。
    Tā yì shēng zhuī qiú ān lè de shēng huó.
    He pursues a life of peace and happiness throughout his life.
  • 安乐。
    Zhè ge xiǎo zhèn de rén men guò zhe ān lè de rì zi.
    The people in this small town live a peaceful and happy life.
  • 安乐。
    Tā xī wàng jiā rén yǒng yuǎn shēng huó zài ān lè zhī zhōng.
    He hopes his family will always live in peace and happiness.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

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

安ānpeace
乐lèjoy

安 gives peace and 乐 gives joy, together meaning a happy, secure life.

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.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
宀宀mián
Sound part声符shēngfú
女
女nǚ安ān
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

In 安, 宀 sits above a seated 女 on a cushion; 宀 is the meaning part, 女 is the sound part, and the character originally meant sitting at ease.

Open 安 →

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 樂; 乐 is its simplified writing.

In the traditional form 樂, 絲 (string) with 木 (wood) shows strings on a piece of wood, a musical instrument; the simplified 乐 is a later shorthand.

Open 乐 →
Appears in
Emotions & Feelings

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