蔼

藹

ǎi

艹 + 谒

Definitions

ǎi friendly

Etymology

Phonosemantic compound. 艹 represents the meaning and 谒 represents the sound. Simplified form of 藹.

Semantic: 艹 Phonetic: 谒

About

蔼 is a phono-semantic compound, the simplified form of 藹. It pairs the grass radical 艹 with the phonetic 谒 (讠 'speech' + 曷; traditional 謁 used 言). The character originally denoted lush, flourishing vegetation or thick trees, a meaning naturally stemming from the grass component. Over time, this sense of pleasant, abundant growth shifted metaphorically to describe a person's gentle, amiable nature. Today, its botanical origin is largely forgotten, and 蔼 consistently conveys kindness and affability.

Etymology Hide

Seal Shuowen (~100 AD)

Seal Western Han dynasty (202 BC-9 AD)

Traditional Modern

Simplified Modern

Example Sentences Hide

老师很和蔼。

Lǎoshī hěn hé'ǎi.

The teacher is very kind.

她和蔼地笑了笑。

Tā hé'ǎi de xiào le xiào.

She smiled kindly.

爷爷总是和蔼可亲。

Yéye zǒngshì hé'ǎi kěqīn.

Grandfather is always amiable.

那位和蔼的老人帮助了我。

Nà wèi hé'ǎi de lǎorén bāngzhù le wǒ.

That kind old man helped me.

在蔼蔼的暮色中，我们回家了。

Zài ǎi'ǎi de mùsè zhōng, wǒmen huí jiā le.

In the dense dusk, we went home.

他的和蔼态度让人感到温暖。

Tā de hé'ǎi tàidù ràng rén gǎndào wēnnuǎn.

His kind attitude makes people feel warm.

尽管工作繁忙，他依然保持和蔼的笑容。

Jǐnguǎn gōngzuò fánmáng, tā yīrán bǎochí hé'ǎi de xiàoróng.

Despite being busy with work, he still maintains a kind smile.

在社区里，她以和蔼可亲的性格赢得了大家的尊重。

Zài shèqū lǐ, tā yǐ hé'ǎi kěqīn de xìnggé yíngdé le dàjiā de zūnzhòng.

In the community, she won everyone's respect with her amiable personality.

Related Characters

Component: 艹

Component: 谒

蔼