至友 (zhì yǒu) — closest friend; intimate friend

Definition

noun
closest friendintimate friend
Easily confused

Examples

  • 至友，。
    Tā shì wǒ dà xué shí dài de zhì yǒu, zhì jīn réng bǎo chí lián xì.
    He is my closest friend from college, and we still keep in touch.
  • 至友，。
    Rén shēng dé yí zhì yǒu zú yǐ, bú bì duō qiú.
    Having one intimate friend in life is enough; there's no need to seek more.
  • ，至友。
    Tā zài wǒ zuì kùn nan de shí hou shēn chū yuán shǒu, kān chēng zhì yǒu.
    She lent me a hand when I was in the hardest time, truly a closest friend.

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
友yǒufriend

至 (utmost) + 友 (friend) means a closest or intimate friend.

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.

友 is drawn as two 又, the hand form, side by side. The old explanation says two hands together mean friendship.

Open 友 →

Browse more HSK 7-9 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.