情有独钟
qíng yǒu dú zhōng
to have a special fondness for one thing
Character by character
情qíng
feeling
feeling
有yǒu
have
have
独dú
alone
alone
钟zhōng
gathered
gathered
Example
她去过很多国家，却对云南情有独钟，几乎每年都去。
She has been to many countries, yet has a soft spot for Yunnan and goes almost every year.
Tone: positive (praise).
Usage and origin
Built as 对…情有独钟. 钟 here means “to gather, to focus” (as in 钟情, to fall for): all one’s feeling is gathered on one thing, a place, a food, a hobby, a person.
Learn this in Lesson 20 · HSK 5: 中国人什么时候开始吃辣 (When China learned to love chillies)
A dialogue, a reading, word cards with audio and a drill that uses it, in Learn Chinese with Bao. The first lessons of every level are free.
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