情郎 (qíng láng) — a girl's lover or sweetheart (poetic/literary) | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

A literary, poetic term for a girl's lover or sweetheart — found mostly in folk songs and classical-style poetry, not everyday speech.

noun

a girl's lover or sweetheart (poetic/literary)

Examples

情郎。
Tā rì yè sī niàn zhe yuǎn fāng de qíng láng.
She misses her lover far away day and night.
情郎。
Zhè shǒu mín gē jiǎng shù le yí gè gū niang yǔ qíng láng de gù shi.
This folk song tells the story of a girl and her lover.
，情郎。
Zài gǔ dài shī cí zhōng, qíng láng cháng bèi yòng lái biǎo dá ài qíng.
In ancient poetry, 'qing lang' is often used to express love.

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.

郎lángyoung man

“情” gives love and “郎” gives young man, so together they mean a sweetheart.

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.

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

邑邑yìcounty; town

Sound part声符shēngfú

良

良liáng郎láng

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

郎 combines 良, which gives the sound, with 邑, meaning county or town.

Appears in

Romance & Marriage

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