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安康 (ān kāng) — safe and healthy; in good health (formal)

Definition

A formal, written blessing meaning 'safe and healthy' (e.g. 祝您安康). It is set-phrase vocabulary rather than everyday speech — used in greetings, cards, and well-wishes, not to describe someone's condition in casual talk.

adjective
safe and healthyin good health (formal)

Examples

  • 安康，。
    Zhù nín shēn tǐ ān kāng, wàn shì rú yì.
    Wishing you good health and all the best.
  • ，安康。
    Chūn jié dào le, wǒ zhù fú quán jiā ān kāng.
    Spring Festival has arrived; I wish the whole family safety and health.
  • ，“安康”。
    Tā jì le yì zhāng hè kǎ, shàng miàn xiě zhe "ān kāng".
    He sent a greeting card that read “Peace and health”.

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ānsafe
康kānghealthy

安 safe and 康 healthy combine to mean in good health.

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.

康 pairs 庚 (threshing tools) with 米 (rice), showing rice being processed into chaff.

Open 康 →
Appears in
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