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有加 (yǒu jiā) — extremely, to an intense degree (used post-verbally or post-adjectivally)

Definition

A written intensifier meaning 'extremely,' placed AFTER a verb or adjective (e.g. 赞赏有加, 疼爱有加). Formal/literary register — far stronger than just adding 非常 in front.

idiom
extremelyto an intense degree (used post-verbally or post-adjectivally)

Examples

  • 有加。
    Lǎo shī duì tā téng ài yǒu jiā.
    The teacher loves him extremely.
  • 有加。
    Guān zhòng duì zhè bù diàn yǐng zàn shǎng yǒu jiā.
    The audience highly praised this movie.
  • 有加。
    Tā duì gōng zuò rèn zhēn yǒu jiā.
    He is extremely serious about his work.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

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

有yǒuhave
加jiāincrease

有 suggests having, and 加 suggests increase; together they express an intense degree.

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
肉肉ròumeat
Sound part声符shēngfú
又
又yòu有yǒu
Same sound today

The form 有 combines 又, used for its sound, with a shape from 肉, 'meat'; the hand-holding-meat story is a folk explanation, not shown in the oldest shape.

Open 有 →

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

加 pairs 力 and 口. In one explanation 力 is strength and 口 is the mouth, meaning exaggeration; in another 力 is plowing effort and 口 is breath or exclamation, meaning extra effort.

Open 加 →
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