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亲人 (qīn rén) — close relative, family member (immediate family)

Definition

亲人 refers to close blood relatives — a narrower, more personal term than 家人 (whole household) or 亲戚 (any relation). Use 亲属 or 家属 in formal or legal contexts instead.

noun
close relativefamily member (immediate family)
Measure word · 个

Examples

  • 亲人。
    Wǒ zuì ài de qīn rén shì wǒ de mā ma hé bà ba.
    My dearest close relatives are my mom and dad.
  • ，亲人。
    Guò nián de shí hou, qīn rén dōu huì jù zài yì qǐ.
    During the New Year, close relatives all gather together.
  • ，亲人。
    Wú lùn wǒ yù dào shén me kùn nan, qīn rén yǒng yuǎn zhī chí wǒ.
    No matter what difficulties I face, close relatives always support me.

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.

亲qīnkin
人rénperson

亲 (kin) and 人 (person) together mean a close relative.

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 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 →

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

The shape of 人 shows a side view of a standing person, with an arm and a leg.

Open 人 →
Appears in
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