狎 (xiá) — (bound form) to be overly familiar or intimate in a disrespectful manner

Definition

狎 (xiá) is a bound morpheme used in words like 狎昵 and 狎亵, meaning 'to act overly familiar in a disrespectful way' — especially crossing social or professional boundaries.

bound form
to be overly familiar or intimate in a disrespectful manner
Easily confused

Examples

  • 狎，。
    Tā de xíng wéi yǒu xiē xiá nì, ràng rén bù shū fu.
    His behavior is somewhat overly familiar, making people uncomfortable.
  • 狎，。
    Bié duì tā tài xiá xiè, bǎo chí zūn zhòng.
    Don't be too familiar with him; maintain respect.
  • 狎。
    Tā bù gāi zhè yàng xiá nì tóng shì.
    He shouldn't be so overly familiar with colleagues.

Origin

Sound + meaning
六书liùshū
形声xíngshēng

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
犬犬quǎndog
Sound part声符shēngfú
甲
甲jiǎ狎⁰xiá
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

狎 is built from 犬, a dog, with 甲 giving the sound.

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