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思念 (sī niàn) — to miss, to long for, to think of (someone or something far away)

Definition

思念 is a literary, heartfelt 'to miss / long for' someone far away. Stronger and more emotional than 想念, and more about the present ache than 怀念's nostalgic look back.

verb
to missto long forto think of (someone or something far away)

Examples

  • 思念。
    Wǒ cháng cháng sī niàn yuǎn fāng de fù mǔ.
    I often miss my parents who are far away.
  • ，思念。
    Lí kāi jiā xiāng hòu, tā yì zhí sī niàn nà lǐ de fēng jǐng.
    After leaving her hometown, she has been longing for the scenery there.
  • 思念。
    Zhè zhǒng sī niàn ràng wǒ gèng jiā zhēn xī xiāng jù de shí guāng.
    This kind of longing makes me cherish the time we spend together even more.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

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

思sīthink
念niànremember

思 (think) and 念 (remember) together mean to think of someone and long for them.

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
心心xīnheart
Sound part声符shēngfú
囟
囟xìn思sī
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

In 思, 心 (heart) points to thinking, while the top part is a changed form of 囟, which supplied the sound.

Open 思 →

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 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 6HSK 2.0 Level 6Emotions & Feelings

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