怕生 (pà shēng) — to be shy with strangers (usually of a child or animal)

Definition

Used mainly for young children and animals who are shy or wary around people they don't know. Unlike 陌生 (mòshēng), which describes the person or thing being unfamiliar, 怕生 describes the subject's shy reaction to strangers.

to be shy with strangers (usually of a child or animal)

Examples

  • 怕生。
    Zhè hái zi hěn pà shēng.
    This child is very shy with strangers.
  • 怕生，。
    Tā pà shēng shén me shēng a, dà jiā dōu rèn shi.
    Why is he shy? Everyone knows each other.
  • ，怕生。
    Xiǎo gǒu gāng lái, yǒu diǎn pà shēng.
    The puppy just arrived, a bit shy with strangers.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

An action followed by what it acts on, fused into one word.

怕pàfear
生shēngunfamiliar people

怕 means fear and 生 refers to unfamiliar people, giving shyness around strangers.

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
心心xīnheart
Sound part声符shēngfú
白
白bái怕pà
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

怕 pairs 心 (heart) with 白, which gives the sound.

Open 怕 →

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

生 shows 屮 (a bud) above 一 (the ground), drawing a sprout coming up from the earth.

Open 生 →

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