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情书 (qíng shū) — love letter

Definition

noun
love letter
Measure word · 封

Examples

  • 情书。
    Tā gěi tā xiě le yì fēng qíng shū.
    He wrote her a love letter.
  • 。
    Tā zài chōu ti lǐ fā xiàn le yì fēng jiù qíng shū.
    She found an old love letter in the drawer.
  • 情书。
    Nà fēng qíng shū shì tā zuì zhēn guì de huí yì.
    That love letter is her most precious memory.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
偏正piānzhèngModifier + head

The first part narrows down the second: it says what kind of thing the head is.

情qínglove or feeling
书shūletter

「情」 supplies love or feeling, and 「书」 is the written letter.

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
青
青qīng情qíng
Same sound today

情 shows 心 (heart) beside 青, which gives the sound. The heart part points to feelings and inner states.

Open 情 →

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 書; 书 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
聿聿yùwriting brush
Sound part声符shēngfú
者
者zhě書shū
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 書 uses 聿, a writing brush, and 者 for its sound; the simplified 书 is a later shorthand.

Open 书 →
Appears in
Mail & MessagingRomance & Marriage

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