挚爱

摯愛

zhì'ài

noun #8,622

Meanings

1 beloved; one's dearest
2 deep love; devoted affection

Characters

sincere; earnest; devoted

Sincere + love — the deepest, most heartfelt kind of love.

Examples

她是他一生的挚爱。

Tā shì tā yīshēng de zhì'ài.

She is the love of his life.

失去挚爱是最痛苦的事。

Shīqù zhì'ài shì zuì tòngkǔ de shì.

Losing one's beloved is the most painful thing.

他对音乐有着挚爱之情。

Tā duì yīnyuè yǒu zhe zhì'ài zhī qíng.

He has a deep love for music.

Tips

register

挚爱 is literary and deeply emotional — used in wedding speeches, eulogies, love letters, and formal contexts. In casual speech, people say 最爱 (favorite/most loved) or 心爱的人 (the person one loves).

Stroke Order

挚 zhì

爱 ài