恋爱 liàn’ài love
(romantic) love; in love; to have an affair
How to remember 恋爱: 恋 love + 爱 love = love.
Characters
How it is used
- Romantic love as a relationship/dating - 谈恋爱 (tán liàn'ài) to date / be in a relationship; 自由恋爱 marriage by one's own choice.
- Note the fixed collocation 谈恋爱 ('talk love' = date); you don't say 做恋爱. It's the being-a-couple sense, distinct from 爱 (ài, to love) as a feeling and 爱情 (àiqíng, love as an emotion/theme).
- Separable: 谈过恋爱 (tán guo liàn'ài) have dated before.
Example sentences
- 恋爱使人盲目。 Liànài shǐrén mángmù.Love is blind.