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宽厚 (kuān hòu) — (of a person's character) tolerant, generous, magnanimous; (of physical build or voice) thick and broad, deep and rich

Definition

宽厚 describes a person who is forgiving and big-hearted in character — close to 宽容 (tolerant) and 厚道 (sincere, kind), but emphasizes magnanimity rather than just kindness or mere tolerance.

adjective
(of a person's character) tolerantgenerousmagnanimous(of physical build or voice) thick and broaddeep and rich

Examples

  • 宽厚，。
    Tā wèi rén kuān hòu, cóng bù gēn rén jì jiào.
    He is magnanimous and never argues with people.
  • 宽厚，。
    Tā jiān bǎng kuān hòu, kàn qǐ lái hěn yǒu lì qi.
    His shoulders are broad and thick; he looks very strong.
  • 宽厚，。
    Tā de shēng yīn kuān hòu ér yǒu lì, ràng rén hěn ān xīn.
    His voice is deep and powerful, which makes people feel at ease.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

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

宽kuānbroad
厚hòuthick

“宽” broad and “厚” thick combine to suggest a solid, generous character or build.

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 寬; 宽 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
宀宀miánhouse
Sound part声符shēngfú
萈
萈huán寬kuān
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 寬 pairs 宀, a house, with 萈, a goat used for sound, to show a spacious house; the simplified 宽 is a later abbreviation.

Open 宽 →

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

  • 厂厂chǎngcliff; cave on a cliff
  • 𣆪𣆪𣆪jug

The shape of 厚 puts 𣆪, a jug, beneath 厂, a cliff or cave.

Open 厚 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9Personality & Traits

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