情人 qíngrén lover
lover; sweetheart
How to remember 情人: 情 feeling + 人 person = lover.
Characters
How it is used
- A lover/sweetheart - romantic partner, and can imply a secret lover/mistress - 情人节 (Qíngrén Jié) Valentine's Day.
- Context matters: warm in 情人节, but 有了情人 can mean an extramarital affair; 恋人 (liànrén) is the cleaner "romantic partner."
- Not the same as 爱人 (àiren), which in the mainland usually means one's spouse.
Example sentences
- 今天是情人节 Jīntiān shì qíngrénjiéToday is Valentine's Day.
- 我讨厌在情人节一人独处。 Wǒ tǎoyàn zài qíngrénjié yīrén dúchǔ.I hate being alone on Valentine's Day.