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情结 (qíng jié) — (psychology) complex; (everyday) a deep-seated emotional attachment or obsession

Definition

情结 is a psychology term for a deep-seated emotional 'complex' — a persistent attachment or fixation toward someone or something (e.g. authority, homesickness). It is a noun, not the everyday adjective 复杂 ('complicated').

noun
(psychology) complex(everyday) a deep-seated emotional attachment or obsession
Easily confused

Examples

  • 情结。
    Tā duì quán wēi yǒu yì zhǒng gēn shēn dì gù de qíng jié.
    He has a deep-rooted complex about authority.
  • 情结。
    Hěn duō hǎi wài huá rén dōu yǒu qiáng liè de sī xiāng qíng jié.
    Many overseas Chinese have a strong homesickness complex.
  • 情结。
    Tā duì nà ge nián dài de wén xué yǒu yì zhǒng huái jiù qíng jié.
    He has a nostalgic complex about the literature of that era.

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qíngemotion
结jiéknot

情 means emotion and 结 means knot, together picturing a tangled emotional attachment.

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 結; 结 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
糸糸mì
Sound part声符shēngfú
吉
吉jí結jié
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 結 pairs 糸 with 吉; 吉 gives the sound, and 糸 relates to the meaning. The simplified 结 is a later shorthand.

Open 结 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9Mental Health

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