In Chinese，爱 (ài) and 喜欢 (xǐhuān) are both verbs that express feelings of affection to person or things, meaning love, like, be fond of, be keen on. But they differ in intensity and depth.
Major differences between 爱 (ài) and 喜欢 (xǐhuān)
爱 (ài)
1. 爱 (ài) indicates a profound, intense feeling of affection and care, often associated with romantic love, family love, or deep friendship. It’s often used in a long-term and serious relationship.
e.g.
我爱你，嫁给我吧！(Wǒ ài nǐ, jià gěi wǒ ba!) I love you, marry me!
我爱我的国家。(Wǒ ài wǒ de guójiā.) I love my country.
她最大的问题就是爱吸烟。(Tā zuì dà de wèntí jiùshì ài xīyān.) Her biggest problem is that she loves smoking.
我爱上了写汉字。(Wǒ ài shàng le xiě hànzì.) I have fallen in love with writing Chinese characters.
2. 爱 (ài) can also imply being prone to, or having the habit of, some negative or undesired phenomenon or situation.
e.g.
年纪大了，爱忘事。(Niánjì dà le, ài wàng shì.) As one gets older, one tends to forget things.
天气一冷，我就爱咳嗽。(Tiānqì yī lěng, wǒ jiù ài késòu.) As soon as the weather gets cold, I tend to cough.
我的手表总爱坏，想修一修。(Wǒ de shǒubiǎo zǒng ài huài, xiǎng xiū yī xiū.) My watch always tends to break; I want to get it fixed.
3. In oral Chinese, 爱 (ài) is used in the pattern 爱A不A to express dissatisfaction when others don’t follow advice. 喜欢 (xǐhuān) isn’t used in this context.
e.g.
你爱看不看，我反正今天要去电影院。(Nǐ ài kàn bù kàn, wǒ fǎnzhèng jīntiān yào qù diànyǐngyuàn.) Whether you want to watch it or not, I’m going to the cinema today.
这是专业老师的学习建议，你爱听不听。(Zhè shì zhuānyè lǎoshī de xuéxí jiànyì, nǐ ài tīng bù tīng.) This is a professional teacher’s study advice, take it or leave it.
这是婚礼请帖，你爱去不去。(Zhè shì hūnlǐ qǐngtiě, nǐ ài qù bù qù.) This is a wedding invitation, attend or not, it’s up to you.
4. 爱 (ài) is often used as a morpheme to form words.
e.g.
- 爱国主义 (Àiguó zhǔyì) Patriotism
- 爱好 (Àihào) Hobby
- 爱情 (Àiqíng) Romantic love
- 爱护 (Àihù) Cherish, care for
- 爱面子 (Ài miànzi) Vanity, face-saving
- 爱人 (Àirén) Spouse, love
- 爱惜 (Àixī) Treasure, cherish
- 恋爱 (Liàn’ài) Romance
- 爱不释手 (Ài bù shì shǒu) Love something too much to part with it
- 母爱 (Mǔ ài) Love of mother
喜欢 (xǐhuān)
喜欢 (xǐhuān) indicates milder, less intense emotion. It’s often used in a temporary or less serious bond or commitment.
e.g.
我喜欢滑雪。(Wǒ xǐhuān huáxuě.) I like skiing.
他们喜欢冒险。(Tāmen xǐhuān màoxiǎn.) They like to take risks.
孩子喜欢和妈妈一起睡觉。(Háizi xǐhuān hé māma yīqǐ shuìjiào.) The child likes to sleep with their mother.
我喜欢听你唱歌。(Wǒ xǐhuān tīng nǐ chànggē.) I like listening to you sing.
我们很喜欢这个老师。(Wǒmen hěn xǐhuān zhège lǎoshī.) We really like this teacher.
喜欢和爱不一样。你只是喜欢我的钱，但是不爱我。(Xǐhuān hé ài bù yīyàng. Nǐ zhǐ shì xǐhuān wǒ de qián, dànshì bù ài wǒ.) Liking and loving are not the same. You just like my money, but you don’t love me.
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