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光临 (guāng lín) — (formal) to honor with one's presence; to attend

Definition

光临 is a formal, honorific verb used to welcome a guest or VIP — 'to honor (us) with your presence.' More deferential than 出席 ('to attend' a meeting); closer to 莅临 in register.

verb
(formal) to honor with one's presenceto attend

Examples

  • 光临。
    Huān yíng guāng lín wǒ men gōng sī cān guān zhǐ dǎo.
    You are welcome to visit and guide our company.
  • 光临。
    Fēi cháng gǎn xiè nín de guāng lín.
    Thank you very much for your presence.
  • 光临。
    Qǐng nín míng tiān guāng lín wǒ men de hūn lǐ.
    Please honor our wedding with your presence tomorrow.

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.

光guānghonor
临línarrive

'光' (honor) and '临' (arrive) together politely mean a guest's coming.

Characters in this word

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

  • 火火huǒfire
  • 卩卩jiékneeling person

The shape 光 places 火 (fire) above 卩 (a kneeling person), showing fire over the head and the shining of light.

Open 光 →

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 臨; 临 is its simplified writing.

For the traditional form 臨, 人 is a person, 臣 is an eye, and 品 is objects, showing a person looking down at objects.

Open 临 →
Appears in
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