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恋恋不舍 (liàn liàn bù shě) — reluctant to part; can't bear to leave

Definition

A chengyu meaning 'reluctant to part' — emphasizes lingering emotional attachment. Often interchangeable with 依依不舍, but 恋恋不舍 stresses love/attachment, while 依依不舍 leans toward general nostalgia.

phrase
reluctant to partcan't bear to leave

Examples

  • ，恋恋不舍。
    Měi cì lí kāi jiā, wǒ dōu gǎn dào liàn liàn bù shě.
    Every time I leave home, I feel reluctant to part.
  • ，恋恋不舍。
    Bì yè nà tiān, dà jiā liàn liàn bù shě dì gào bié le.
    On graduation day, everyone said goodbye reluctantly.
  • 恋恋不舍，。
    Tā liàn liàn bù shě dì kàn le zuì hòu yì yǎn, rán hòu zhuǎn shēn zǒu le.
    She took one last look reluctantly, then turned and walked away.

Origin

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 戀; 恋 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
心心xīnheart
Sound part声符shēngfú
䜌
䜌䜌戀liàn
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 戀 pairs 心 (heart) with 䜌 as a sound part; 恋 is a later simplified form.

Open 恋 →

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 戀; 恋 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
心心xīnheart
Sound part声符shēngfú
䜌
䜌䜌戀liàn
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 戀 pairs 心 (heart) with 䜌 as a sound part; 恋 is a later simplified form.

Open 恋 →

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
口口kǒu
Sound part声符shēngfú
余
余yú舍shè
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

舍 is 余 plus 口. 余 was the original picture for this word, and 口 was later added to distinguish it.

Open 舍 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9

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