亲属
qīn shǔ · HSK 6
kin
👨👩👧👦 KEEN on your SHU-family — qīnshǔ are your close relatives
Qīn means close or dear, shǔ means belonging to a category. Together they label the people who belong to your close circle — your kin and kindred by blood or marriage.
亲 — 立 (stand) + 木 (tree); simplified from 親
The traditional form 親 combined 亲 (phonetic, depicting a hazelnut tree) with 見 (see), suggesting closeness through frequent seeing of family. In simplified Chinese, 見 was dropped, leaving 亲. It now means 'parent,' 'intimate,' or 'in person,' and as qìng denotes in-laws.
属 — radical 尸 (corpse/body) + 禹/蜀 phonetic component
Originally written 屬, depicting a tail-like form attached to a body, suggesting connection or belonging. The 尸 radical relates to body/posture, while the lower component carried the sound. Over time the meaning extended from 'to join/attach' to 'belong to,' 'category,' and 'kind.'