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关爱 (guān ài) — to care for, to show concern and affection

Definition

关爱 pairs care with affection — warmer than 关心 (concern) and 照顾 (looking after needs). Often used for vulnerable groups like the elderly and children.

verb
to care forto show concern and affection

Examples

  • 关爱。
    Lǎo shī fēi cháng guān ài xué shēng.
    The teacher cares for the students very much.
  • 关爱。
    Wǒ men yīng gāi guān ài shēn biān de rén.
    We should care for the people around us.
  • 关爱。
    Shè huì xū yào guān ài lǎo rén hé ér tóng.
    Society needs to care for the elderly and children.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

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

关guānconcern
爱àilove/care

关 and 爱 both express care and affection, so together they mean showing concern and care for someone.

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 關; 关 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
門門méndoor
Sound part声符shēngfú
𢇅
𢇅𢇅關guān
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

For 关, the traditional form 關 shows 門 as a door and 𢇅 as two wooden sticks locking it, with ring-like marks on top.

Open 关 →

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 愛; 爱 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
心心xīnheart
Sound part声符shēngfú
旡
旡jì愛ài
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

For the traditional form 愛, an older shape paired 心 (heart) with 旡 as its sound part; later a foot-like 夊 was added below. The simplified 爱 is a later variant that replaces the lower part with 友.

Open 爱 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 6Emotions & Feelings

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