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温情 (wēn qíng) — warmheartedness; tender affection; sentimentality (often with a slightly negative connotation)

Definition

温情 names a gentle, warm feeling of affection (a movie 'full of warmth', a parent's tenderness). It can also mean 'sentimentality' in a slightly negative sense — being too soft to be realistic.

noun
warmheartednesstender affectionsentimentality (often with a slightly negative connotation)

Examples

  • 温情，。
    Zhè bù diàn yǐng chōng mǎn le wēn qíng, ràng rén gǎn dòng.
    This movie is full of warmth, moving people.
  • ，温情。
    Tā duì hái zi zǒng shì hěn yán lì, hěn shǎo biǎo xiàn chū wēn qíng.
    He is always very strict with his children, rarely showing tenderness.
  • 温情。
    Zhè zhǒng wēn qíng yǒu shí huì ràng rén jué de bù zhēn shí.
    This kind of sentimentality sometimes feels unreal.

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.

温wēnwarm
情qíngfeeling

The warm sense of 温 combines with the feeling sense of 情 to give tender affection or sentimentality.

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 溫; 温 is its simplified writing.

The traditional form 溫 is based on an older form 𥁕, which drew a person bathing in a container full of warm water. The simplified 温 is a later variant.

Open 温 →

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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