情意 (qíng yì) — affection, tender regards

Definition

Literary/formal word for 'deep affection or tender regard' toward a person, often read as more weighty and romantic than the everyday 感情. It typically appears in writing, letters, or solemn speech rather than casual talk.

noun
affectiontender regards

Examples

  • 情意。
    Tā men zhī jiān de qíng yì hěn shēn.
    The affection between them is very deep.
  • 情意。
    Tā xiě zhè fēng xìn shì wèi le biǎo dá duì tā de qíng yì.
    She wrote this letter to express her affection for him.
  • 情意。
    Zhè fèn qíng yì ràng wǒ men fēi cháng gǎn dòng.
    This affection moved us very much.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

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

情qíngfeeling
意yìthought

情 (feeling) and 意 (thought) are parallel senses of tender regard.

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 →

No reliable origin is recorded for this character.

Open 意 →

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