相思病 (xiāng sī bìng) — lovesickness

Definition

A poetic, literary word for lovesickness — being ill with longing for someone you love or miss. Pairs with 得 (catch it) or 因为…瘦了 (lose weight from it) for the classic image.

noun
lovesickness

Examples

  • 相思病，。
    Tā zuì jìn dé le xiāng sī bìng, zhěng tiān chá fàn bù sī.
    He's been lovesick lately, unable to think about food or tea all day.
  • 相思病。
    Tā yīn wèi xiāng sī bìng shòu le hǎo jǐ jīn.
    She lost several jin because of lovesickness.
  • 相思病，。
    xiāng sī bìng Suī kǔ, què yě yǒu yì zhǒng tián mì de zī wèi.
    Lovesickness is bitter, yet it also has a kind of sweet taste.

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.

相思longing
相xiāngmutual思sīthink
偏正Modifier + head
病bìngillness

相思 means longing and 病 means illness, giving the sense of lovesickness.

Characters in this word

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

In 相, 目 is an eye and 木 is a tree, showing an eye looking at a tree; this originally meant “to observe.”

Open 相 →

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
囟
囟xìn思sī
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

In 思, 心 (heart) points to thinking, while the top part is a changed form of 囟, which supplied the sound.

Open 思 →

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
疒疒nèsickness
Sound part声符shēngfú
丙
丙bǐng病bìng
Same sound today

病 pairs 疒, a sickness mark, with 丙, which gives the sound; 丙 also means fire, giving a picture of lying feverishly in bed.

Open 病 →

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