情人节 (qíng rén jié) — Valentine's Day

Definition

noun
Valentine's Day

Examples

  • 情人节。
    Měi nián èr yuè shí sì hào shì qíng rén jié.
    Every year February 14th is Valentine's Day.
  • 情人节，。
    qíng rén jié De shí hou, tā sòng le wǒ yí shù méi gui huā.
    On Valentine's Day, he gave me a bouquet of roses.
  • 情人节。
    Hěn duō cān tīng zài qíng rén jié nà tiān dōu yǒu tè bié de wǎn cān.
    Many restaurants have special dinners on Valentine's Day.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
偏正piānzhèngModifier + head

The first part narrows down the second: it says what kind of thing the head is.

情人lover
情qíngfeeling/love人rénperson
偏正Modifier + head
节jiéfestival

情人 names a lover, and 节 gives a festival, together naming Valentine's Day.

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
青
青qīng情qíng
Same sound today

情 shows 心 (heart) beside 青, which gives the sound. The heart part points to feelings and inner states.

Open 情 →

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

The shape of 人 shows a side view of a standing person, with an arm and a leg.

Open 人 →

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 節; 节 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
⺮Written in full as竹zhúbamboo
Sound part声符shēngfú
即
即jí節jié
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 節 pairs ⺮ (bamboo) with 即, which gives the sound; the bamboo part points to a node of bamboo. The simplified 节 is a later abbreviation.

Open 节 →
Appears in
Festivals & HolidaysRomance & Marriage

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