光临 meaning in English
(formal) to honor with one's presence; to attend
Meaning of 光临
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- (formal) to honor with one's presence
- to attend
How to use 光临
光临 is a polite, formal verb used by hosts and businesses to welcome or invite guests. You will see it on shop signs and hear it from staff as customers walk in. Example: 欢迎光临。(Huānyíng guānglín.) Welcome, thank you for coming.
光 (guāng) means light and 临 (lín) means to arrive or come near. When an honored guest arrives, it is as if light comes into the room, so 光临 politely means "to honor us with your presence."
Common mistake: Learners sometimes use 光临 for their own arrival, as in 我明天光临, which sounds strange because the word honors someone else's visit. For yourself, say 我明天来 (wǒ míngtiān lái) instead.
光临 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Stroke order for each character
Open a character for its meaning, components and more words.
光 guāng · light · 6 strokes
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临 lín · to face · 9 strokes
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Related words
Words that share a character with 光临.
| 阳光 | yángguāng | sunshine; (of personality) upbeat; energetic |
| 光明 | guāngmíng | light; radiance |
| 不光 | bùguāng | not the only one; not only |
| 面临 | miànlín | to face sth; to be confronted with |
| 临时 | línshí | as the time draws near; at the last moment |
| 灯光 | dēngguāng | (stage) lighting; light |
| 光盘 | guāngpán | compact disc (CD); DVD; CD-ROM |
| 时光 | shíguāng | time (esp. as sth that passes) |
| 眼光 | yǎnguāng | gaze; insight |
| 光荣 | guāngróng | honor and glory; glorious |
| 光线 | guāngxiàn | light ray; light |
| 目光 | mùguāng | gaze; (fig.) attention; expression in one's eyes; look |
Questions about 光临
What does 光临 mean?
光临 (guānglín) means "(formal) to honor with one's presence; to attend" and is used as a verb.
How do you write 光临?
光临 is made of 2 characters: 光 (6 strokes), 临 (9 strokes). That is 15 strokes in total.
Is 光临 an HSK word?
Yes. 光临 is on the HSK 4 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
How is 光临 written in traditional Chinese?
In traditional characters, 光临 is written 光臨.
What is the difference between 光临 and 来?
来 (lái) is the everyday neutral word for "come." 光临 is respectful and formal, used only for other people's visits, especially guests or customers. It shows politeness rather than adding new meaning.
Can 光临 be used in written invitations?
Yes. It often appears in formal invitations, for example 敬请光临 (jìng qǐng guānglín), "we respectfully request your presence." It fits weddings, openings, and official events.