悼念 (dào niàn) — to mourn (the deceased); to express condolences | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

悼念 (dào niàn) means to formally mourn the deceased — used in solemn contexts like memorial services. Stronger and more ritual than 怀念 (which misses the living or past), and a written/formal alternative to 追悼.

verb

to mourn (the deceased)to express condolences

Examples

悼念。
Wǒ men mò mò de dào niàn zhe shì qù de qīn rén.
We silently mourned our departed loved ones.
，悼念。
Zhuī dào huì shàng, dà jiā xiàng liè shì dào niàn.
At the memorial service, everyone expressed condolences to the martyrs.
悼念。
Qīng míng jié hěn duō rén qù mù dì dào niàn zǔ xiān.
On Qingming Festival, many people visit graves to mourn their ancestors.

Origin

Compound word

构词法gòucífǎ

联合liánhéCoordinate

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

念niànremember

悼念 combines 悼 (mourn) and 念 (remember) to mean grieving for the deceased.

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.

忄卓悼

Meaning part形符xíngfú

忄Written in full as心xīn

Sound part声符shēngfú

卓

卓zhuó悼dào

The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

In 悼, the left side 忄 is a narrow form of 心, the heart, marking the feeling of mourning, while the right side 卓 gives the sound.

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

亼心念

亼今jīnupside-down mouth
心心xīnheart

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

Appears in

HSK 3.0 Level 7-9 Emotions & Feelings

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