About
The character for "宠", whose traditional form is "寵", derives from a semantic composition featuring the "roof" radical (宀) over the component for "dragon" (龍), suggesting a conceptual origin in the idea of something revered or sheltered, as the dragon was a potent symbol of auspicious power and celestial favor. Its earliest meanings were oriented not toward commonplace affection but toward a kind of elevated, often divine or imperial, benevolence and protection bestowed from a superior to a subordinate. Over centuries, this sense of condescending favor or privileged patronage gradually broadened and descended into the domestic sphere, coming to denote the indulgent affection one shows to a cherished object, animal, or person kept within one's care, thus emphasizing a sheltered and preferential status. The modern simplification to "宠" replaced the complex "龍" with "龙", maintaining the roof element but rendering the character phonetically and visually simpler while preserving its core notion of favored treatment under one's protection.
Etymology Hide
Example Sentences Hide
我有一只宠物猫。
妈妈很宠爱弟弟。
这只宠物狗非常聪明。
他在公司很受宠。
父母过度宠爱孩子不好。
那个宠儿在比赛中获得了冠军。
尽管她失宠了，但她仍然保持乐观。
在现代社会，宠物已经成为许多家庭的重要成员。