Definitions

qíng (noun) feeling; emotion
qíng (noun) love; affection
qíng (noun) circumstances; situation

Etymology

Phonosemantic compound. represents the meaning and represents the sound.

Semantic: Phonetic:

About

Composed of the heart radical "忄" on the left and the component "青" on the right, the character "情" originally conveyed the idea of the genuine nature or inherent reality of things in early classical Chinese texts. Over time, its meaning shifted to emphasize human emotions and sentiments, while also retaining application to objective circumstances, as seen in compounds like "事情" for matter or "情况" for situation. The structure has remained consistent, with "忄" indicating its association with inner states and "青" primarily serving a phonetic role, reflecting a semantic evolution from abstract essence to more specific affective and contextual domains.

Etymology Hide

Seal etymology image
Seal Chu (Warring States: 475-221 BC)
Seal etymology image
Seal Shuowen (~100 AD)
Clerical etymology image
Clerical Western Han dynasty (202 BC-9 AD)
Clerical etymology image
Clerical Western Han dynasty (202 BC-9 AD)
Clerical etymology image
Clerical Eastern Han dynasty (25-220 AD)
Clerical etymology image
Clerical Eastern Han dynasty (25-220 AD)
Traditional Modern
Simplified Modern

Example Sentences Hide

我心很好。

Wǒ xīnqíng hěn hǎo.

I am in a good mood.

这种况很少见。

Zhè zhǒng qíngkuàng hěn shǎo jiàn.

This kind of situation is rare.

他们感深厚。

Tāmen gǎnqíng shēnhòu.

Their feelings are deep.

请告诉我事经过。

Qǐng gàosu wǒ shìqíng jīngguò.

Please tell me the course of events.

需要双方付出。

Àiqíng xūyào shuāngfāng fùchū.

Love requires both sides to give.

绪管理很重要。

Qíngxù guǎnlǐ hěn zhòngyào.

Emotion management is very important.

在复杂况下做出决定。

Zài fùzá qíngkuàng xià zuò chū juédìng.

Make a decision in complex situations.

他对国家国有深刻了解。

Tā duì guójiā guóqíng yǒu shēnkè liǎojiě.

He has a deep understanding of the national conditions.