恋 liàn love
How to remember 恋: 𰁜 as well + 心 heart = love. He buys her flowers and chocolates as well, and his pounding heart tells everyone in the café this is his first love.
Component breakdown
恋 = 𰁜 as well + 心 heart
- 𰁜 as well
- 心 heart
He buys her flowers and chocolates as well, and his pounding heart tells everyone in the café this is his first love.
How it is used
- 恋 is bound and specifically about romantic longing/attachment, distinct from the broader word 爱 (ài) "love".
- 恋爱 (liàn'ài) is the standard noun/verb for a romantic relationship, most often in the set phrase 谈恋爱 (tán liàn'ài) "to date, to be in a relationship".
- 失恋 (shīliàn) means to have one's heart broken / go through a breakup - 他刚失恋 (tā gāng shīliàn) he just went through a breakup.
- 留恋 (liúliàn) and 迷恋 (míliàn) extend 恋 metaphorically to reluctance to leave a place, or being infatuated/obsessed with something, not necessarily a person.