柔情似水
róu qíng sì shuǐ
tender feelings as gentle as water
Character by character
柔róu
tender
tender
情qíng
feeling
feeling
似sì
like
like
水shuǐ
water
water
Example
她平时说话很干脆，唱起情歌来却柔情似水。
She is normally brisk when she talks, but when she sings a love song she is all tenderness.
Tone: positive (praise).
Usage and origin
From 《鹊桥仙》 by the Song poet 秦观 (Qín Guān), about the Herd-boy and the Weaver-girl, who meet once a year: 柔情似水，佳期如梦. Used of lovers, a gentle voice or gaze; 似 is the literary form of 像.
Learn this in Lesson 243 · HSK 9+: 从周璇到邓丽君 (From Zhou Xuan to Teresa Teng)
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