绸缪

綢繆
chóumóu
verb

Meanings

  1. 1 to be sentimentally attached to
  2. 2 to be deeply bound up with (someone or something)
  3. 3 (literary) to plan / prepare carefully

Examples

Wèi yǔ chóumóu shì Zhōngguórén tuīchóng de měidé.
Preparing in advance (lit. 'binding the eaves before it rains') is a virtue Chinese people admire.
Tāmen gǎnqíng shēnhòu, chánmián chóumóu.
They have deep feelings and are inseparably attached.

Tips

usage
绸缪 is mostly seen inside the chengyu 未雨绸缪 (wèi yǔ chóu móu, 'tie up the thatch before the rain' — to prepare for trouble before it comes). On its own it is highly literary.
history
From 《诗经··》: 阴雨绸缪 — 'before the sky darkens with rain, gather mulberry roots and bind up the windows and doors.'

Stroke Order

chóu
Miào