眷 (juàn) — family dependent; household member (bound form, used in 家眷, 眷属); to have tender feelings for; to be attached to (bound form, used in 眷恋, 眷顾)
Definition
A bound form (almost never used alone) meaning 'family member' or 'tender attachment,' seen in set compounds like 家眷 / 眷属 (dependents) and 眷恋 / 眷顾 (to be attached to / to favor).
bound form
family dependenthousehold member (bound form, used in 家眷, 眷属)to have tender feelings forto be attached to (bound form, used in 眷恋, 眷顾)
Examples
- 。Tā dài zhe quán jiā juàn shǔ bān dào le lìng yí gè chéng shì.He moved his entire family to another city.
- 。Tā duì gù xiāng yǒu zhe shēn shēn de juàn liàn.He has a deep attachment to his hometown.
- 。Gǎn xiè nín yì zhí yǐ lái de juàn gù yǔ zhī chí.Thank you for your continued care and support.
Origin
Sound + meaning六书liùshū
形声xíngshēngMost characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.
Sound part声符shēngfú
龹
龹龹眷juàn
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.
眷 combines 目 (eye) with 龹; 目 is the meaning part and 龹 is the sound part.
Appears in
Browse more HSK 7-9 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.