TongTong
Sign in

娇惯 (jiāo guàn) — to spoil, to pamper, to coddle

Definition

娇惯 means to spoil a child through overindulgence, implying harm from leniency. Stronger and more pejorative than 宠 or 宠爱 (which can be affectionate), and focuses on bad habits rather than 放纵's general lack of restraint.

verb
to spoilto pamperto coddle

Examples

  • 娇惯，。
    Bú yào jiāo guàn hái zi, yào ràng tā men xué huì dú lì.
    Don't spoil children; let them learn to be independent.
  • 娇惯，。
    Tā cóng xiǎo bèi fù mǔ jiāo guàn, suǒ yǐ bú tài huì zhào gù zì jǐ.
    She was spoiled by her parents since childhood, so she doesn't know how to take care of herself.
  • 娇惯，。
    Yé ye duì sūn zi hěn jiāo guàn, shén me dōu dā ying.
    The grandfather spoils his grandson and agrees to everything.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

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

娇jiāodote
惯guànindulge

Both parts carry the idea of doting and indulging, giving the sense of spoiling 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 嬌; 娇 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
女女nǚwoman
Sound part声符shēngfú
喬
喬qiáo嬌jiāo
Same sound today

The traditional form 嬌 has 女 (woman) beside 喬, which gave the sound; the simplified 娇 is a shorthand.

Open 娇 →

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 慣; 惯 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
忄Written in full as心xīnheart
Sound part声符shēngfú
貫
貫guàn慣guàn
Same sound today

The traditional form 慣 shows 忄 (heart) beside 貫, which gives the sound; the simplified 惯 is a shorthand. Habit is what one does by heart.

Open 惯 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9

Browse more HSK 7-9 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.