ZHIZHI 知止 · LEARN CHINESE DAILY

feeling; emotion

qíng
11 strokes · 忄 (heart radical) + 青 (green/azure, sound qīng→qíng) · HSK 2

Where 情 comes from

情 is a heart 忄 colored 青 — the freshest green-blue in Chinese, the color of spring shoots and clear sky. Feeling is the heart in its vivid, living color.

情 in Chinese culture

事情 'matters' are literally 'affairs with feeling in them'. 爱情 is romantic love, 友情 friendship, 亲情 family bonds — Chinese sorts love into named channels. 人情 is the economy of favors that no contract can capture.

Example

事情 shìqing — matter; thing

我有一件事情告诉你。
Wǒ yǒu yí jiàn shìqing gàosu nǐ.
I have a matter to tell you about.

How to remember it

A heart 忄 in living color 青 — FEELING.

情人节 'lovers' festival' is Valentine's Day — but China has three: Western Feb 14, Qixi (the cowherd and weaver girl's annual bridge of magpies), and 520, because wǔ'èrlíng sounds like 我爱你.

Same sound, different tones

1st qīng
green-blue
2nd qíng
feeling
3rd qǐng
please
4th qìng
to celebrate

Words unlocked by 情

事情 shìqing
matter; thing
爱情 àiqíng
romantic love
心情 xīnqíng
mood

Related characters

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