亭亭玉立 (tíng tíng yù lì) — (of a woman) slim and graceful, with elegant bearing; (of trees) tall and erect

Definition

Idiom meaning 'slim and graceful' — usually of a young woman standing with elegant posture, but also of tall, erect trees. A vivid, literary image used in writing rather than everyday speech.

idiom
(of a woman) slim and gracefulwith elegant bearing(of trees) tall and erect

Examples

  • ，亭亭玉立，。
    Tā zhàn zài wǔ tái zhōng yāng, tíng tíng yù lì, qì zhì fēi fán.
    She stood in the center of the stage, slim and graceful, with extraordinary poise.
  • 亭亭玉立，。
    Lù biān de bái yáng shù tíng tíng yù lì, xiàng wèi shì yí yàng tǐng bá.
    The poplar trees along the roadside are tall and erect, standing like guards.
  • 亭亭玉立，。
    Zhè wèi nián qīng nǚ zǐ shēn cái tíng tíng yù lì, jǔ zhǐ yōu yǎ.
    This young woman has a slim and graceful figure and elegant manners.

Origin

Characters in this word

No reliable origin is recorded for this character.

Open 亭 →

No reliable origin is recorded for this character.

Open 亭 →

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

玉 was drawn as a ritual jade piece, or as jade pieces strung together, and was made distinct from 王 by adding a dot.

Open 玉 →

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

立 pictures a person standing on the ground.

Open 立 →

Browse more HSK 7-9 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.