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恩

ēn
noun #642

Meanings

  1. 1 kindness
  2. 2 grace
  3. 3 favor

Examples

我们要感恩。
Wǒmen yào gǎn'ēn.
We should be grateful.
他对我有恩。
Tā duì wǒyǒu ēn.
He has shown me kindness.

Tips

memory
因 (cause) + 心 (heart) — kindness that causes the heart to feel.
usage
Common in 感恩 (gǎn'ēn, gratitude) and 恩人 (ēnrén, benefactor).

Components

radical
心 xīn
heart; mind (radical)
Bottom radical 心 — a stylised picture of the heart with chambers. Anchors 恩 in the family of feelings that come from the heart: 想 (think), 念 (remember), 怒 (anger), 慈 (compassion). The full-form 心 sits at the bottom rather than the side variant 忄, signalling a deep, settled emotion.
phonetic
因 yīn
cause; reason (phonetic)
Top 因 supplies the sound (yīn → ēn, a regular Mandarin shift) and a layer of meaning: 'cause' or 'reason'. The kindness recorded by 恩 is what causes a heart to feel grateful. Compare the same phonetic in 姻 (marriage) and 茵 (mat-grass).

Stroke Order

恩 ēn