狎昵

xiánì
adjective

Meanings

  1. 1 intimate (often improperly so)
  2. 2 overly familiar
  3. 3 taking liberties

Examples

Tā duì tóngshì guòyú xiánì, yǐnqǐle bùshǎo yìlùn.
He was overly familiar with his colleagues, which caused quite a bit of gossip.
Shàng xià jí zhījiān bùyí xiánì.
There should not be inappropriate familiarity between superiors and subordinates.

Tips

register
Literary and pejorative. 狎昵 implies a closeness that crosses propriety — often used in classical or formal writing. For ordinary closeness, use 亲近 (qīnjìn) or 亲密 (qīnmì).
memory
contains (dog radical) — the word carries a sense of animal-like, unrestrained intimacy that classical writers viewed with suspicion.

Stroke Order

xiá