甜蜜 (tián mì) — sweet (figurative, of love, life, memories); happy and delightful

Definition

Figurative 'sweet' for love, memories, marriage, and other emotional experiences — not for taste (that's 甜). More warm and emotional than 美好, which is broader and more abstract.

adjective
sweet (figurative, of love, life, memories)happy and delightful

Examples

  • 甜蜜
    Tā men jié hūn sān shí nián, shēng huó yì zhí hěn tián mì.
    They have been married for thirty years, and their life has always been sweet.
  • 甜蜜
    Huí yì qǐ tóng nián shí guāng, tā liǎn shàng lù chū tián mì de xiào róng.
    Recalling her childhood, a sweet smile appeared on her face.
  • 甜蜜
    Zhè duì qíng lǚ zài xī yáng xià sàn bù, huà miàn shí fēn tián mì.
    The couple walked under the sunset, and the scene was very sweet.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

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

honey

甜 (sweet) and 蜜 (honey) together evoke a honey-like sweetness.

Characters in this word

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

甜 puts 舌 (tongue) next to 甘 (sweet), showing sweetness as something the tongue perceives.

Open 甜 →

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
chónginsect
Sound part声符shēngfú
Same sound today

蜜 is built from 虫, an insect, and 宓, which gives the sound.

Open 蜜 →

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