慈祥 (cí xiáng) — kindly, benevolent (of an elderly person's appe… | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

Describes a kind, gentle look or manner — especially of elderly people. More about outward warmth than moral character, which is the focus of 善良 or 仁慈.

adjective

kindlybenevolent (of an elderly person's appearance or demeanor)

Examples

慈祥。
Zhè wèi cí xiáng de lǎo rén zǒng shì bāng zhù lín jū.
This kindly old person always helps their neighbors.
慈祥。
Lǎo nǎi nai liǎn shàng dài zhe cí xiáng de wēi xiào.
The old lady wore a benevolent smile on her face.
慈祥。
Tā cí xiáng de mù guāng ràng wǒ gǎn dào wēn nuǎn.
His kind gaze made me feel warm.

Origin

Compound word

构词法gòucífǎ

联合liánhéCoordinate

Two parts of equal weight, alike or opposite in meaning, standing side by side.

祥xiánggentle

慈祥 joins 慈 'kind' and 祥 'gentle' to describe a warm, benevolent manner.

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.

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

示示shìaltar

Sound part声符shēngfú

羊

羊yáng祥xiáng

Same sound today

祥 pairs 示 (altar) with 羊 for its sound. Originally it was just 羊, and 示 was added later to distinguish it.

Appears in

HSK 3.0 Level 7-9 HSK 2.0 Level 6 Personality & Traits

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