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热恋 (rè liàn) — to be passionately in love (often the intense, romantic phase of a relationship)

Definition

Refers to the intense, romantic phase of being in love, often before or early in a long relationship. Unlike 恋爱 (liàn'ài, 'to date / be in a relationship'), 热恋 highlights passion and heat, not just the fact of dating.

verb
to be passionately in love (often the intense, romantic phase of a relationship)

Examples

  • 热恋，。
    Tā men zhèng zài rè liàn zhōng, měi tiān dōu hěn kāi xīn.
    They are in the passionate love phase and are happy every day.
  • 热恋，。
    Jīng guò le sān nián rè liàn, tā men de gǎn qíng hái shì nà me hǎo.
    After three years of passionate love, their feelings are still so good.
  • 热恋。
    Diàn yǐng jiǎng de jiù shì yí duì nián qīng rén de rè liàn gù shi.
    The movie is about a passionate love story of two young people.

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.

热rèhot/passionate
恋liànlove

热 “hot/passionate” intensifies 恋 “love”, giving “be passionately in love”.

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 熱; 热 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
灬Written in full as火huǒfire
Sound part声符shēngfú
埶
埶yì熱rè
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 熱 pairs 埶 with 火 (written as 灬) to show heat, while 埶 gives a sound.

Open 热 →

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 戀; 恋 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
心心xīnheart
Sound part声符shēngfú
䜌
䜌䜌戀liàn
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 戀 pairs 心 (heart) with 䜌 as a sound part; 恋 is a later simplified form.

Open 恋 →
Appears in
Romance & Marriage

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