挚友 (zhì yǒu) — intimate friend, bosom friend | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

挚友 is a formal, literary term for a close, trusted friend — deeper than the everyday 朋友, more emphatic than 好友. Used mainly in writing and reflective contexts to mark a bond of real trust.

noun

intimate friendbosom friend

Measure word · 个

Examples

挚友。
Tā shì wǒ zuì hǎo de zhì yǒu.
He is my best intimate friend.
，挚友。
Tā men suī rán duō nián bú jiàn, dàn réng rán shì zhì yǒu.
Although they haven't seen each other for years, they are still bosom friends.
挚友。
Zhēn zhèng de zhì yǒu huì zài nǐ kùn nan de shí hou bāng zhù nǐ.
A true intimate friend will help you when you are in trouble.

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.

挚zhìsincere

挚 gives 'sincere', 友 gives 'friend', together 'intimate friend'.

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.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 摯; 挚 is its simplified writing.

執手摯

Meaning part形符xíngfú

手手shǒuhand

Sound part声符shēngfú

執

執zhí摯⁰zhì

Same sound today

The traditional form 摯 pairs 執 for the sound with 手 for hand; the simplified 挚 is a later abbreviation, so its parts are not the original shape.

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

又又友

又又yòu
又又yòu

友 is drawn as two 又, the hand form, side by side. The old explanation says two hands together mean friendship.

Appears in

Friends & Social

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