爱犬 (ài quǎn) — beloved dog, pet dog

Definition

Literary, affectionate term for one's beloved dog — a cherished pet, used in writing or with emotional warmth rather than the plain everyday 狗.

noun
beloved dogpet dog
Measure word · 只

Examples

  • 爱犬。
    Tā měi tiān dōu yào dài ài quǎn qù gōng yuán sàn bù.
    He takes his beloved dog to the park for a walk every day.
  • 爱犬。
    Zhè zhī ài quǎn yǐ jīng péi bàn tā shí nián le.
    This beloved dog has accompanied her for ten years.
  • 爱犬。
    Tā wèi ài quǎn zhǔn bèi le zuì hǎo de shí wù hé wán jù.
    She prepared the best food and toys for her beloved dog.

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.

爱àilove
犬quǎndog

爱 (love) and 犬 (dog) describe a beloved dog.

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 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 →

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

犬 is a drawing of a dog seen from the side.

Open 犬 →

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