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溺爱 (nì ài) — to spoil (a child) by overindulgence; to dote on excessively

Definition

溺爱 (nì'ài) means 'to overindulge or spoil (a child)' — 爱 with negative force, implying harmful excess rather than healthy affection. Stronger than just 疼爱 (fondness); always carries a critical connotation.

verb
to spoil (a child) by overindulgenceto dote on excessively

Examples

  • 溺爱。
    Hěn duō jiā zhǎng yīn wèi tài ài hái zi ér nì ài tā men.
    Many parents spoil their children because they love them too much.
  • 溺爱，。
    Yé ye nǎi nai zǒng shì nì ài sūn zi, gěi tā mǎi hěn duō dōng xī.
    Grandparents always dote on their grandson, buying him lots of things.
  • 溺爱，。
    Fù mǔ bú yīng gāi guò fèn nì ài hái zi, yào ràng tā men xué huì dú lì.
    Parents shouldn't spoil their children excessively; they should let them learn to be independent.

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.

溺nìexcessive
爱àilove

溺 conveys excessive indulgence, and 爱 is love; together they mean loving too much.

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
氵Written in full as水shuǐwater
Sound part声符shēngfú
弱
弱ruò溺nì
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The left side 氵 is water; the right side 弱 gives the sound ruò.

Open 溺 →

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 愛; 爱 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
心心xīnheart
Sound part声符shēngfú
旡
旡jì愛ài
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

For the traditional form 愛, an older shape paired 心 (heart) with 旡 as its sound part; later a foot-like 夊 was added below. The simplified 爱 is a later variant that replaces the lower part with 友.

Open 爱 →
Appears in
Family & Kinship

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