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心肝宝贝 (xīn gān bǎo bèi) — darling, sweetheart (term of endearment for a beloved person)

Definition

An affectionate term of endearment, like 'darling' or 'sweetheart' — stronger and more intimate than 宝贝 alone, used for loved ones (often children or romantic partners).

noun
darlingsweetheart (term of endearment for a beloved person)

Examples

  • ：“心肝宝贝，。”
    Mā ma qīng shēng duì hái zi shuō: "xīn gān bǎo bèi, bié kū le."
    The mother said softly to the child: 'Darling, don't cry.'
  • 心肝宝贝。
    Yé ye bǎ xiǎo sūn nǚ jiào zuò tā de xīn gān bǎo bèi.
    The grandfather calls his little granddaughter his sweetheart.
  • 心肝宝贝，。
    Tā shì wǒ de xīn gān bǎo bèi, wǒ yǒng yuǎn ài tā.
    She is my sweetheart, I will love her forever.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

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

心肝heart and liver
心xīnheart肝gānliver
联合Coordinate
宝贝treasure
宝bǎotreasure贝bèishell
联合Coordinate

"心肝" and "宝贝" both point to someone beloved, so together they mean a darling.

Characters in this word

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

The shape of 心 comes from a drawing of a heart, now highly stylized.

Open 心 →

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
⺼Written in full as肉ròuflesh; body part
Sound part声符shēngfú
干
干gān肝gān
Same sound today

The left part ⺼ shows flesh or a body part, while the right part 干 gives the sound. Together they form 肝.

Open 肝 →

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 寶; 宝 is its simplified writing.

  • 宀宀miánhouse
  • 琡琡chùjade
  • 貝貝bèicowry

The traditional form 寶 shows 宀 (house), 琡 (jade), and 貝 (cowry), drawn together as treasures in a house.

Open 宝 →

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 貝; 贝 is its simplified writing.

The traditional form 貝, not the simplified 贝, shows a cowrie shell used as money in ancient China.

Open 贝 →
Appears in
Romance & Marriage

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