宠

寵

chǒng

宀 + 龙

HSK 3.0Level 7

Definitions

chǒng (verb) to pamper; to spoil; to favor

chǒng (verb) to love; to be fond of

Etymology

Phonosemantic compound. 宀 represents the meaning and 龙 represents the sound. Simplified form of 寵.

Semantic: 宀 Phonetic: 龙

About

The simplified character 宠 combines the roof radical 宀, representing a house, with the phonetic 龙 (dragon). Its traditional form 寵 uses the unsimplified dragon 龍. The primary meaning is to favor, dote on, or spoil someone, which later extended to refer to a pet kept indoors and pampered. The roof component grounds this sense of fondness in the domestic sphere, evoking the intimacy and protection of the home.

Etymology Hide

Bronze Late Western Zhou (~800 BC)

Seal Chu (Warring States: 475-221 BC)

Seal Shuowen (~100 AD)

Clerical Western Han dynasty (202 BC-9 AD)

Clerical Eastern Han dynasty (25-220 AD)

Clerical Cao Wei (Three Kingdoms: 222-280 AD)

Traditional Modern

Simplified Modern

Example Sentences Hide

我有一只宠物猫。

Wǒ yǒu yī zhǐ chǒngwù māo.

I have a pet cat.

妈妈很宠爱弟弟。

Māma hěn chǒng'ài dìdi.

Mom dotes on my younger brother.

这只宠物狗非常聪明。

Zhè zhǐ chǒngwù gǒu fēichāng cōngmíng.

This pet dog is very smart.

他在公司很受宠。

Tā zài gōngsī hěn shòuchǒng.

He is highly favored in the company.

父母过度宠爱孩子不好。

Fùmǔ guòdù chǒng'ài háizi bù hǎo.

It is not good for parents to over-pamper their children.

那个宠儿在比赛中获得了冠军。

Nàge chǒng'ér zài bǐsài zhōng huòdéle guànjūn.

That favorite won the championship in the competition.

尽管她失宠了，但她仍然保持乐观。

Jǐnguǎn tā shīchǒngle, dàn tā réngrán bǎochí lèguān.

Even though she fell out of favor, she remains optimistic.

在现代社会，宠物已经成为许多家庭的重要成员。

Zài xiàndài shèhuì, chǒngwù yǐjīng chéngwéi xǔduō jiātíng de zhòngyào chéngyuán.

In modern society, pets have become important members of many families.

Related Characters

Component: 宀

Component: 龙

宠