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珍爱 (zhēn ài) — to treasure, to cherish

Definition

A more literary, emphatic 'treasure / cherish' — used for things (memories, friendship, life) one holds dear, stronger and more written than 爱护.

verb
to treasureto cherish

Examples

  • 珍爱。
    Tā yì zhí zhēn ài nà zhāng lǎo zhào piàn.
    She has always treasured that old photo.
  • 珍爱。
    Wǒ men yào zhēn ài měi yí gè měi hǎo de shùn jiān.
    We should treasure every beautiful moment.
  • 珍爱。
    Tā zhēn ài zhè fèn yǒu yì yǐ jīng hěn duō nián le.
    He has cherished this friendship for many years.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

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

珍zhēnprecious; cherish
爱àilove

珍 'precious' and 爱 'love' are parallel senses giving 'treasure'.

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
玉玉yù
Sound part声符shēngfú
㐱
㐱㐱珍
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

珍 pairs 玉, a jade or gem, with 㐱, which gives the sound; the 玉 part fits its early meaning of a rich gemstone.

Open 珍 →

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 →
Appears in
Emotions & Feelings

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