柔情似水 (róu qíng sì shuǐ) — (idiom) tender and affectionate as water; deeply attached

Definition

A literary idiom comparing tender feelings to flowing water — gentle, soft, and enduring. Mostly used in writing or to describe romantic love and deep affection.

idiom
tender and affectionate as waterdeeply attached

Examples

  • 柔情似水，。
    Tā men zhī jiān de gǎn qíng róu qíng sì shuǐ, lìng rén xiàn mù.
    The affection between them is as tender as water, enviable.
  • 柔情似水，。
    Tā duì qī zi de ài róu qíng sì shuǐ, cóng wèi gǎi biàn.
    His love for his wife is as tender as water, never changed.
  • ，柔情似水，。
    Zài yuè guāng xià, tā xiǎn de róu qíng sì shuǐ, gé wài wēn róu.
    Under the moonlight, she appears as tender as water, especially gentle.

Origin

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 →

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
亻Written in full as人rénhuman
Sound part声符shēngfú
以
以yǐ似sì
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

似 pairs 亻 (human) with 以, which gives the sound.

Open 似 →

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

水 is a simple drawing of water flowing.

Open 水 →

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