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贴近 (tiē jìn) — (verb) to press close to, to snuggle up to; (adjective) close, intimate

Definition

贴近 is literally 'press close to' (verb) and 'close, intimate' (adjective) — used for physical closeness, abstract ideas ('close to reality'), and figurative proximity. Stronger than 亲密, which describes a relationship only.

verb
to press close toto snuggle up to
adjective
closeintimate

Examples

  • 贴近。
    Hái zi xǐ huan tiē jìn zhe mā ma shuì jiào.
    The child likes to snuggle up to mom to sleep.
  • 贴近。
    Zhè bù diàn yǐng hěn tiē jìn shēng huó.
    This movie is very close to real life.
  • 贴近。
    Tā men shì hěn tiē jìn de péng you.
    They are very close friends.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
补充bǔchōngVerb + complement

An action followed by its result or direction.

贴tiēpress
近jìnnear

The 贴 pressing and 近 nearness combine to mean pressing close.

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.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 貼; 贴 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
貝貝bèishell
Sound part声符shēngfú
占
占zhàn貼tiē
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 貼 pairs 貝, a shell, with 占 as a sound part; the simplified 贴 is a later shorthand.

Open 贴 →

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
辶Written in full as辵chuòwalk
Sound part声符shēngfú
斤
斤jīn近jìn
Same sound today

近 combines 辶, a walking radical, with 斤, which gives the sound. The walking part fits the idea of moving close to something.

Open 近 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 6Emotions & Feelings

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