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亲和力 (qīn hé lì) — (personal) warmth; approachability; charisma (of a person); user-friendliness; approachability (of a product, software, etc.); (chemistry) affinity

Definition

亲和力 is the warmth or approachability that makes people feel comfortable around you (or with a product). Compared to 魅力 (glamour, attractive appeal), it focuses on being easy and welcoming rather than striking or alluring.

noun
(personal) warmthapproachabilitycharisma (of a person)user-friendlinessapproachability (of a product, software, etc.)(chemistry) affinity

Examples

  • 亲和力，。
    Zhè wèi xīn tóng shì hěn yǒu qīn hé lì, hěn kuài jiù hé dà jiā dǎ chéng yí piàn le.
    This new colleague is very approachable and quickly got along with everyone.
  • 亲和力，。
    Zhè ge ruǎn jiàn de qīn hé lì hěn qiáng, dì yī cì yòng jiù néng qīng sōng cāo zuò.
    This software has strong user-friendliness; you can operate it easily on your first try.
  • 亲和力，。
    Zhè liǎng zhǒng jīn shǔ zhī jiān de qīn hé lì jiào gāo, róng yì xíng chéng hé jīn.
    The affinity between these two metals is high, so they easily form an alloy.

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.

亲和intimate and harmonious
亲qīnintimate和héharmonious
联合Coordinate
力lìforce

亲 and 和 mean intimate and harmonious, and 力 adds the sense of a force or quality.

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
口口kǒumouth
Sound part声符shēngfú
禾
禾hé和hé
Same sound today

和 pairs 禾, which gives the sound, with 口 (mouth), the meaning part; the reference connects this shape to harmony.

Open 和 →

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

力 is drawn as either an arm bending out from the side of the body or a wooden plough.

Open 力 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9Abstract ConceptsPersonality & Traits

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