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念念不忘 (niàn niàn-bú wàng) — to keep in mind constantly; to never forget (idiom)

Definition

An idiom meaning to keep something in mind constantly, often with a hint of lingering longing or unresolved feeling. 记忆犹新 focuses on vivid, fresh recollection of past events; 念念不忘 emphasizes ongoing, persistent remembrance.

phrase
to keep in mind constantlyto never forget (idiom)

Examples

  • 念念不忘。
    Tā duì chū liàn qíng rén yì zhí niàn niàn-bú wàng.
    He has never stopped thinking about his first love.
  • ，念念不忘。
    Nà cì shī bài de jiào xùn, wǒ niàn niàn-bú wàng.
    I will never forget the lesson from that failure.
  • 念念不忘。
    Tā niàn niàn-bú wàng mǔ qīn lín zhōng qián de dīng zhǔ.
    She constantly remembers her mother's final instructions.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
偏正piānzhèngModifier + head

The first part narrows down the second: it says what kind of thing the head is.

念念thinking again and again
念niànthink念niànthink
重叠Reduplication
不忘not forget
不bùnot忘wàngforget
偏正Modifier + head

The repeated 念 stresses constant thinking, while 不忘 means not forgetting.

Characters in this word

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

念 combines 今, an upside-down mouth, with 心, the heart, to listen to one's heart.

Open 念 →

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

念 combines 今, an upside-down mouth, with 心, the heart, to listen to one's heart.

Open 念 →

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

The picture in 不 originally showed a flower’s calyx; the “no” sense came later from a related character, not from this picture.

Open 不 →

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
心心xīnheart
Sound part声符shēngfú
亡
亡wáng忘wàng
Same sound today

忘 combines 亡, which gives the sound, with 心 (“heart”), showing the sense is about the heart or mind.

Open 忘 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9Idioms & Set PhrasesThinking & Cognition

Browse more HSK 7-9 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.