怀 (huái) — (noun) bosom, chest; (verb) to cherish, to harbor (feelings, hopes); (verb) to be pregnant (怀着孩子)
Definition
怀 (huái) is a literary verb for cherishing/harboring feelings, and a formal noun for the chest or bosom. For pregnancy, use 怀孕; for the literal body part, 胸 is more common.
noun
bosomchest
verb
to cherishto harbor (feelings, hopes)to be pregnant (怀着孩子)
Examples
- 。Tā xīn zhōng huái zhe měi hǎo de mèng xiǎng.He cherishes beautiful dreams.
- 。Tā huái zhe hái zi yǐ jīng jiǔ gè duō yuè le.She has been pregnant for over nine months.
- ，。Tā bǎ xìn sāi jìn huái lǐ, cōng cōng lí kāi le.She stuffed the letter into her bosom and left in a hurry.
Origin
Sound + meaning六书liùshū
形声xíngshēngMost 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 懷; 怀 is its simplified writing.
Sound part声符shēngfú
褱
褱huái懷huái
Same sound today
The traditional form 懷 uses 心 (heart) to show longing and 褱 for the sound; the simplified 怀 is a later shorthand.
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