惯

• Pinyin: guàn
• Hanzi breakdown: 惯 = 忄(heart) + 贯 (penetrate continuously — habit penetrating the heart)

Meaning

To be accustomed to; to spoil (a child or person). As a verb, means either to be used to something through habit, or to indulge someone by giving in to their every demand.

In the sense of habit: 惯 often appears as a resultative complement after 习 or 养 (习惯, 养惯). In the sense of spoiling: 惯坏 (spoil rotten) is common in parenting discourse. The character alone can function as a predicate: 她从小就被惯坏了.

Examples

1. 他从小就被父母惯得不懂得珍惜任何东西。 He was spoiled by his parents from a young age and never learned to value anything.
2. 我已经惯了早起，即便是周末也睡不着懒觉。 I’m used to getting up early; even on weekends I can’t sleep in.
3. 过于溺惯孩子，反而会妨碍他们独立能力的培养。 Overindulging children can actually hinder the development of their independence.

Usage Guide

Context: family, daily life, parenting

Tone: neutral

Do Say

• 孩子被惯坏了之后，再想纠正坏习惯就非常困难了。(Once a child is spoilt rotten, it becomes very difficult to correct bad habits afterwards.)
• 他惯了一个人做决定，很难接受他人的意见。(He is accustomed to making decisions alone and finds it hard to accept others' opinions.)

Don't Say

• 他惯了这件事 — use 习惯了 for 'got used to something'; bare 惯 without a complement usually means spoiling rather than growing accustomed, so specify with 习惯了 or 惯于 to avoid ambiguity

Origin & History

忄(heart radical) + 贯 (to string through, continuous). The heart accustomed to a continuous pattern — habit ingrained in the mind.

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal