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和蔼 (hé ǎi) — kind, amiable, nice

Definition

和蔼 describes a gentle, warm manner — usually of older people or authority figures (teachers, elders). Compared with 亲切 (warm and approachable) and 和气 (polite and easygoing), 和蔼 emphasizes calm, dignified kindness.

adjective
kindamiablenice

Examples

  • 和蔼，。
    Zhè wèi lǎo shī hěn hé ǎi, tóng xué men dōu xǐ huan tā.
    This teacher is very kind; all the students like her.
  • 和蔼，。
    Tā duì rén fēi cháng hé ǎi, cóng bú duì bié rén fā pí qi.
    He is very amiable to people and never loses his temper with others.
  • 和蔼，。
    Tā lù chū le hé ǎi de wēi xiào, ràng rén gǎn dào wēn nuǎn.
    She showed a nice smile that made people feel warm.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

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

和hégentle
蔼ǎiamiable

和 conveys gentleness and 蔼 conveys amiability, together describing a kindly manner.

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.

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 →

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 藹; 蔼 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
言言yán
Sound part声符shēngfú
葛
葛gě藹ǎi
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

In the traditional form 藹, 言 relates to speech and 葛 gives the sound; the simplified 蔼 is a later shorthand.

Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9HSK 2.0 Level 6Personality & Traits

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