思春 (sī chūn) — (literary, euphemistic) to experience the onset of romantic/sexual feelings (of a young person, especially a girl)

Definition

A literary, euphemistic verb for a young person (especially a girl) beginning to have romantic or sexual feelings. Tone is delicate and old-fashioned — used in writing about adolescence, not everyday speech.

verb
(literary, euphemistic) to experience the onset of romantic/sexual feelings (of a young person, especially a girl)

Examples

  • 思春，。
    Tā shí liù suì kāi shǐ sī chūn, cháng cháng yí gè rén fā dāi.
    She started having romantic feelings at sixteen and often daydreams alone.
  • 思春。
    Shào nǚ sī chūn běn shì zì rán zhī shì.
    A young girl's budding romantic feelings are a natural thing.
  • ，。
    Tā sī guò chūn, dàn cóng wèi duì shuí biǎo bái guò.
    She has had such feelings before, but never confessed to anyone.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

An action followed by what it acts on, fused into one word.

思sīlong for
春chūnspring

思 conveys longing, and 春 evokes the springtime of desire.

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 →

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
艸艸cǎograss
日日rìsun
Sound part声符shēngfú
屯
屯tún春chūn
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

春 combines 艸 (grass) and 日 (sun) with 屯, which supplies the sound and is described as a swollen sprout.

Open 春 →

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