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亲切 (qīn qiè) — cordial, warm, amiable (of a person's manner or speech); familiar, close, dear (of a feeling or atmosphere)

Definition

Describes a manner, tone, or atmosphere that feels warm and approachable, like someone you know well. Unlike 热情 (high-energy enthusiasm) or 和蔼 (gentle kindliness), 亲切 is more about the easy familiarity of a person or feeling.

adjective
cordialwarmamiable (of a person's manner or speech)familiarclosedear (of a feeling or atmosphere)

Examples

  • 亲切，。
    Zhè wèi lǎo shī duì xué shēng fēi cháng qīn qiè, dà jiā dōu hěn xǐ huan tā.
    This teacher is very warm toward her students; everyone likes her.
  • ，，亲切。
    Huí dào jiā xiāng, tīng dào shú xi de fāng yán, xīn lǐ gǎn dào shí fēn qīn qiè.
    Returning to my hometown and hearing the familiar dialect, I felt very close and dear inside.
  • 亲切，。
    Tā shuō huà de yǔ qì hěn qīn qiè, ràng rén jué de hěn shū fu.
    His tone of voice is very cordial, making people feel at ease.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

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

亲qīnintimate
切qièclose/earnest

亲 and 切 both suggest closeness and earnestness, so together they describe a warm, familiar manner.

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 →

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
刀刀dāoknife
Sound part声符shēngfú
七
七qī切qiè
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

In 切, the 刀 (knife) part is joined to 七, which gives the sound.

Open 切 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 5HSK 2.0 Level 5Personality & Traits

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