慈父 (cí fǔ) — loving father; respectful term for a kind and c…

Definition

A respectful, literary term for a kind and loving father — more elevated than plain 父亲, often used in writing or when honoring one's father.

noun

loving fatherrespectful term for a kind and compassionate father

Measure word · 位

慈父。
Tā de cí fǔ shì gè hé ǎi kě qīn de rén.
His loving father is a kind and approachable person.
慈父。
Tā zài xìn zhōng biǎo dá le duì cí fǔ de gǎn jī zhī qíng.
In his letter, he expressed gratitude for his loving father.
慈父。
Wǒ yǒng yuǎn huái niàn wǒ de cí fǔ.
I will always miss my loving father.

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 (kind) describes 父 (father), giving a loving father.

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.

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

The shape 父 shows a hand holding a stone blade, referring to a man working with a stone axe.

Appears in