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爱人 (ài ren) — spouse (standard term in mainland China); lover (used in other Chinese-speaking regions)

Definition

In mainland China 爱人 means your husband or wife — same as 配偶, just more colloquial. In Taiwan/Hong Kong and older usage it can mean a romantic partner or lover, like 情人.

noun
spouse (standard term in mainland China)lover (used in other Chinese-speaking regions)
Measure word · 个

Examples

  • 爱人。
    Wǒ de ài ren shì yī shēng.
    My spouse is a doctor.
  • 爱人，。
    Tā yǒu ài ren, dàn shì wǒ méi yǒu.
    She has a lover, but I don't.
  • 爱人？
    Nǐ de ài ren duì nǐ hǎo ma?
    Does your spouse treat you well?

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.

爱àibeloved
人rénperson

爱 suggests beloved and 人 means person, together naming a spouse or lover.

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.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 愛; 爱 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
心心xīnheart
Sound part声符shēngfú
旡
旡jì愛ài
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

For the traditional form 愛, an older shape paired 心 (heart) with 旡 as its sound part; later a foot-like 夊 was added below. The simplified 爱 is a later variant that replaces the lower part with 友.

Open 爱 →

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

The shape of 人 shows a side view of a standing person, with an arm and a leg.

Open 人 →
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HSK 3.0 Level 3Romance & Marriage5000 Most Frequent Chinese Words

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