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亲昵 (qīn nì) — intimate, affectionate

Definition

亲昵 (qīnnì) describes warm, affectionate closeness between people — like cuddly, familiar gestures or tone. Stronger and more tender than 亲密, which can also mean 'close' in a neutral or factual sense (亲密朋友 = close friends).

adjective
intimateaffectionate

Examples

  • 亲昵。
    Tā men liǎ de guān xì fēi cháng qīn nì.
    Their relationship is very intimate.
  • 亲昵。
    Tā duì wǒ zuò le yí gè qīn nì de jǔ dòng.
    She made an affectionate gesture toward me.
  • 亲昵。
    Tā yòng qīn nì de yǔ qì gēn wǒ shuō huà.
    He spoke to me in an affectionate tone.

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qīnclose
昵nìaffectionate

亲 and 昵 both express closeness, so together they mean very intimate.

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 →

No reliable origin is recorded for this character.

Open 昵 →
Appears in
Emotions & FeelingsFriends & Social

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