思慕 (sī mù) — to yearn for; to admire and cherish (the memory of someone or something)

Definition

思慕 (sī mù) is a literary verb meaning 'to yearn for / cherish the memory of someone absent or lost,' often with a tender, nostalgic tone. Stronger and more emotional than 想念; far more common in writing than 思念.

verb
to yearn forto admire and cherish (the memory of someone or something)

Examples

  • 思慕。
    Tā réng rán sī mù zhe yuǎn fāng de gù xiāng.
    He still yearns for his distant hometown.
  • 思慕。
    Tā mò mò de sī mù zhe nà wèi yǐ gù de míng rén.
    She silently admires and cherishes the memory of that late celebrity.
  • 思慕。
    Zhè xiē lǎo zhào piàn ràng wǒ sī mù qǐ guò qù de měi hǎo shí guāng.
    These old photos make me recall and cherish the beautiful times in the past.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéSide by side

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

思sīthink of
慕mùadmire

'思' means think of and '慕' means admire: longing and admiration.

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
囟
囟xìn思sī
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

In 思, 心 (heart) points to thinking, while the top part is a changed form of 囟, which supplied the sound.

Open 思 →

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
㣺Written in full as心xīnheart
Sound part声符shēngfú
莫
莫mò慕mù
Same sound today

慕 combines 莫 for the sound with the lower 㣺, a form of 心 (heart).

Open 慕 →

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