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柔情 (róu qíng) — tender feelings, tenderness

Definition

A literary, written word for 'tender feelings' — more elevated and abstract than everyday 温柔 (gentle/tender). Often used to describe emotion in eyes, voice, or demeanor in poetry and prose.

noun
tender feelingstenderness

Examples

  • 柔情。
    Tā de yǎn zhōng chōng mǎn le róu qíng.
    Her eyes were full of tenderness.
  • 柔情。
    Tā shuō huà shí dài zhe yì zhǒng tè bié de róu qíng.
    There was a special tenderness in his voice.
  • 柔情。
    Tā de róu qíng xiàng chūn tiān de fēng yí yàng wēn nuǎn.
    Her tenderness is as warm as the spring breeze.

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.

柔róutender
情qíngfeeling

柔 tender or soft and 情 feeling combine as tender feelings.

Characters in this word

No reliable origin is recorded for this character.

Open 柔 →

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 →
Appears in
Emotions & Feelings

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