眷恋 (juàn liàn) — to be sentimentally attached to (a person or place); to feel nostalgia for

Definition

Literary verb meaning to feel a deep, lingering emotional attachment — to a person, place, or past. It implies longing and nostalgia, stronger and more poetic than everyday words like 想念 or 留恋.

to be sentimentally attached to (a person or place)to feel nostalgia for

Examples

  • 眷恋。
    Tā duì gù xiāng yì zhí juàn liàn.
    He has always been sentimentally attached to his hometown.
  • 眷恋。
    Zhè wèi lǎo rén juàn liàn zhe guò qù de suì yuè.
    This elderly person is nostalgically attached to the past years.
  • 眷恋。
    Wǒ yǒng yuǎn juàn liàn hé nǐ yì qǐ dù guò de shí guāng.
    I will forever cherish the time spent with you.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéSide by side

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

眷juànfondly regard
恋liànlove

眷 and 恋 both point to affectionate attachment, so together they mean to cherish someone or a place.

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
目目mùeye
Sound part声符shēngfú
龹
龹龹眷juàn
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

眷 combines 目 (eye) with 龹; 目 is the meaning part and 龹 is the sound part.

Open 眷 →

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 戀; 恋 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
心心xīnheart
Sound part声符shēngfú
䜌
䜌䜌戀liàn
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 戀 pairs 心 (heart) with 䜌 as a sound part; 恋 is a later simplified form.

Open 恋 →

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