亲属 (qīn shǔ) — relative; kin member (formal)

Definition

亲属 (qīnshǔ) is the formal, legal term for 'relatives' — broader than 亲人 (immediate family only) and more official than 亲戚 (everyday relatives). 家属 specifically means a person's dependents in legal/official contexts.

noun

relativekin member (formal)

Measure word · 个

Examples

，。
Fǎ lǜ shàng, pèi ǒu shǔ yú jìn qīn shǔ.
Legally, a spouse counts as a close relative.
亲属。
Tā suǒ yǒu de qīn shǔ dōu lái cān jiā le hūn lǐ.
All his relatives came to attend the wedding.
亲属。
Měi nián chūn jié wǒ men dōu huì bài fǎng gè wèi qīn shǔ.
Every Spring Festival we visit all our relatives.

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qīnkin

属shǔfamily members

亲 (kin) and 属 (family members) together mean relatives.

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.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 屬; 属 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú

㞑Written in full as尾wěitail

Sound part声符shēngfú

蜀

蜀shǔ屬shǔ

Same sound today

The traditional form 屬 pairs 㞑 (tail) with 蜀 as a sound part; the simplified 属 is a shorthand.

Open 属 →

Appears in