情分 (qíng fèn) — mutual affection; goodwill (between people)

Definition

情分 refers to the goodwill and emotional bond between people — less about a formal relationship (like 关系) and more about the warmth and sense of obligation that comes from shared feeling.

noun
mutual affectiongoodwill (between people)

Examples

  • 情分。
    Tā men zhī jiān de qíng fèn hěn shēn.
    The bond between them is very deep.
  • 情分。
    Wǒ men bù néng yīn wèi zhè jiàn shì shāng le qíng fèn.
    We can't let this matter hurt our relationship.
  • ，情分。
    Tā bāng le wǒ hěn duō máng, wǒ qiàn tā yí fèn qíng fèn.
    He helped me a lot; I owe him a favor.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéSide by side

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

情qíngaffection
分fēnbond

情 points to affection, and 分 points to the bond between people, so together they name goodwill.

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 →

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

分 pairs 八 (to separate) with 刀 (knife), showing something cut apart with a knife.

Open 分 →

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