慈母 (cí mǔ) — loving mother

Definition

A literary/affectionate word for 'loving mother', emphasizing warmth and tenderness — stronger and more emotional than the everyday 母亲.

noun
loving mother
Measure word · 个

Examples

  • 慈母,。
    Tā shì yí wèi cí mǔ, duì hái zi fēi cháng guān xīn.
    She is a loving mother, very concerned about her children.
  • ,慈母。
    Zài wén xué zuò pǐn zhōng, cí mǔ cháng yòng lái xíng róng mǔ qīn de wēn nuǎn hé ài.
    In literary works, 'loving mother' is often used to describe a mother's warmth and love.
  • 慈母,。
    Wǒ de zǔ mǔ shì yí wèi cí mǔ, cóng xiǎo jiù jiào yù wǒ men yào shàn liáng.
    My grandmother is a loving mother; she taught us to be kind from a young age.

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.

慈cíloving
母mǔmother

慈 expresses loving kindness, and 母 is mother: a loving mother.

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
茲
茲zī慈cí
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

慈 has 心 (heart) below 茲, which gives its sound; the heart shows the character relates to feelings such as kindness and love.

Open 慈 →

No reliable origin is recorded for this character.

Open 母 →

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