薄情 (bó qíng) — heartless, fickle, disloyal (especially in romantic or personal relationships)

Definition

薄情 describes someone unfeeling in love or close relationships — cold, disloyal, quick to abandon a partner or friend. Stronger than 无情 and carries the sense of breaking an emotional bond rather than general cruelty.

adjective
heartlessfickledisloyal (especially in romantic or personal relationships)

Examples

  • 薄情，。
    Tā duì tā nǚ péng you hěn bó qíng, shuō zǒu jiù zǒu le.
    He is very heartless toward his girlfriend; he left without a word.
  • 薄情，。
    Tā shòu bù liǎo zhàng fu de bó qíng xíng wéi, zuì hòu lí hūn le.
    She couldn't stand her husband's heartless behavior, and they eventually divorced.
  • 薄情。
    Péng you yǒu kùn nan de shí hou nǐ bù néng tài bó qíng.
    When a friend is in trouble, you can't be too cold-hearted.

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.

薄báothin/slight
情qíngaffection

薄 means thin or slight, and 情 means affection; thin affection describes fickleness.

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
艹Written in full as艸cǎo
Sound part声符shēngfú
溥
溥pǔ薄báo
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

薄 combines 艹, a grass part, with 溥 as the sound part.

Open 薄 →

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
心心xīnheart
Sound part声符shēngfú
青
青qīng情qíng
Same sound today

情 shows 心 (heart) beside 青, which gives the sound. The heart part points to feelings and inner states.

Open 情 →

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