Word Origin Today-- 爱/ 愛

Word Origin Today-- new blog series well be updated irregularl.

In fact, if you want to understand the words' origin you'd better learn the original (traditional) form. So in the series I will type both modern and traditional Chinese for you to have a better undersdtanding.

1.           爱/ 愛 [4i]

In English: love

Word origin: In the middle of this character is 心, the "heart". Love of course comes from the heart. The word functions as a noun and a verb, but mostly is used as a verb. This character is formed by four different parts.  From top is 爫, a claw; 冖, tightly; 心, the heart; and finally the 攵, to tap gently. So the character愛(original form) seems to already give a very vivid definition of "love": to grab the heart tightly but to tap gently.

2.           爱心/愛心 [4i xin]

In English: a loving heart, kindness, generosity

Word origin: 心 is the character for heart. When爱and 心form a term, it refers to all the good deeds and thoughts generated from love. The term functions as a noun.

3.           爱情/ 愛情 [4i chin]

In English: love, love affair, the feeling of love

Word origin: 情is the character for feelings, emotion, and affair. This phrase to refer to the emotion and feelings relating to love.  The term is used as a noun.

4.           爱人/ 愛人 [4i rén]

In English: to love others/people/a person, lover

        Word origin: 人is person/people. This word is a pictographic form of a person standing with both hands on the     
           side and legs wide apart. This position is a strong standing posture and thus is perceived as a form for 'person'.  
     爱and人 together become a term for "lover" when the term refers to the loved one. The term also is used as a verb 
           to stand for "to love".