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至亲 (zhì qīn) — closest relative; close kin

Definition

Literary/formal word for one's closest blood relatives (parents, children, siblings). Stronger and more elevated than the everyday 家人.

noun
closest relativeclose kin
Measure word · 位

Examples

  • 至亲。
    Fù mǔ shì nǐ de zhì qīn.
    Your parents are your closest relatives.
  • ，至亲。
    Duì yú měi gè rén lái shuō, zhì qīn dōu shì zuì zhòng yào de rén.
    For everyone, close relatives are the most important people.
  • 至亲，。
    Tā shī qù le suǒ yǒu de zhì qīn, gǎn dào fēi cháng gū dú.
    He lost all his close relatives and felt very lonely.

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.

至zhìutmost
亲qīnkin

至 means utmost; 亲 means kin, so the closest relatives.

Characters in this word

An abstract idea shown by a mark or a diagram rather than by a picture of an object.

至 is drawn as an arrow stuck into the ground.

Open 至 →

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 親; 亲 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
見見jiànsee
Sound part声符shēngfú
辛
辛xīn親qīn
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 親 uses 見 (see) for sense and 辛 (a chisel) for sound; the simplified 亲 is a shorthand and its parts are not the historical components.

Open 亲 →
Appears in
Family & Kinship

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