修修 (xiū xiū) — (literary) well‑arranged; gracefully neat and o…

Definition

Literary word, almost always paired with 的, meaning 'gracefully neat and orderly' (appearance, arrangement). Conveys elegance — stronger and more poetic than just saying 整齐.

bound form

(literary) well‑arrangedgracefully neat and orderly

Examples

修修，，。
Chuāng qián xiū xiū zhú, fēng chuī yè dòng, pō yǒu shī yì.
The neatly arranged bamboo outside the window rustles in the wind, full of poetic charm.
修修，，。
Tíng yuàn xiū xiū, huā mù fú shū, zhǔ rén xiǎn rán yòng xīn dǎ lǐ.
The courtyard is well‑kept, with sparse yet graceful flowers and trees — the owner clearly tends it with care.
修修，。
Gǔ huà zhōng nà xiū xiū de lán cǎo, lìng guān zhě xīn kuàng shén yí.
The gracefully arranged orchids in the ancient painting refresh the viewer's mind.

Origin

Reduplicated word

构词法gòucífǎ

重叠chóngdiéReduplication

A syllable said twice — for affection, for softness, or simply because that is how the word is said.

修xiūneat

The repeated 修 gives a literary sense of being neat and orderly.

Characters in this word

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

Meaning part形符xíngfú

彡彡shān

Sound part声符shēngfú

攸

攸yōu修xiū

The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

修 is built from 攸, which gives the sound, and 彡, a set of three strokes that shows the meaning.

Open 修 →