怜爱 (lián ài) — to love tenderly, to cherish with affection (toward someone vulnerable or endearing)

Definition

怜 (lián) adds a layer of pity or tenderness to 爱, so 怜爱 is love felt toward someone vulnerable, small, or helpless — a parent for a child, or a person for an injured animal. Stronger emotional coloring than plain 爱.

verb
to love tenderlyto cherish with affection (toward someone vulnerable or endearing)

Examples

  • ，怜爱。
    Tā kàn zhe shú shuì de hái zi, xīn zhōng chōng mǎn le lián ài.
    She looked at the sleeping child, her heart full of tender love.
  • ，怜爱。
    Nà zhī xiǎo māo hěn kě ài, ràng rén rěn bú zhù lián ài.
    That kitten was so cute it made people can't help but feel tender affection.
  • ，怜爱。
    Tā wēn róu dì fǔ mō tā de tóu fa, yǎn shén lǐ mǎn shì lián ài.
    He gently stroked her hair, his eyes full of tender love.

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.

怜liántender care
爱àilove

'怜' and '爱' both express tender affection: to cherish someone.

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.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 憐; 怜 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
心心xīnheart
Sound part声符shēngfú
粦
粦lín憐lián
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 憐 combines 心 (heart) with 粦, which gives it its sound; the simplified 怜 is a later shorthand, and its parts are not the historical components.

Open 怜 →

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 →

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