感恩 (gǎn ēn) — to be grateful; to feel thankful | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

感恩 is a formal, written verb for a deep, felt sense of gratitude — stronger than 感谢 (a casual 'thanks') and more literary than 感激.

verb

to be gratefulto feel thankful

Examples

感恩。
Wǒ gǎn ēn fù mǔ duì wǒ de yǎng yù zhī ēn.
I am grateful to my parents for raising me.
感恩。
Tā gǎn ēn shēng huó zhōng měi yí gè bāng zhù guò tā de rén.
He is grateful to everyone who has helped him in life.
感恩，。
Wǒ men yào xué huì gǎn ēn, zhēn xī yōng yǒu de yí qiè.
We must learn to be grateful and cherish everything we have.

Origin

Compound word

构词法gòucífǎ

动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

An action followed by what it acts on, fused into one word.

感 (feel) gratitude toward 恩 (favor) makes one thankful.

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.

咸心感

Meaning part形符xíngfú

心心xīnheart

Sound part声符shēngfú

咸

咸xián感gǎn

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

感 pairs 咸, which gives the sound, with 心, the heart, for feeling.

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

因心恩

Meaning part形符xíngfú

心心xīnheart

Sound part声符shēngfú

因

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

恩 puts 因, which gives the sound, beside 心, a heart.

Appears in

HSK 3.0 Level 7-9 Emotions & Feelings

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