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化妆 (huà zhuāng) — to put on makeup, to apply makeup

Definition

To apply makeup to one's face. Unlike 美容 (improving appearance more broadly, including skincare or surgery), 化妆 is specifically the act of putting on cosmetics. 装扮 is closer to 'dressing up' or 'adorning' and can apply to costume, not just the face.

verb
to put on makeupto apply makeup

Examples

  • 化妆。
    Tā měi tiān chū mén qián dōu yào huā èr shí fēn zhōng huà zhuāng.
    She spends twenty minutes putting on makeup every day before going out.
  • 。
    Wǒ jīn tiān huà le gè dàn zhuāng.
    I put on light makeup today.
  • 化妆。
    Nǐ huà zhuāng huà dé tài nóng le.
    Your makeup is put on too heavily.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

An action followed by what it acts on, fused into one word.

化huàmake up
妆zhuāngmakeup

To 化妆 is to 化 the 妆; applying makeup builds the meaning.

Characters in this word

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

化 shows two person figures, one upright and one upside down, to give the idea of reversal or change.

Open 化 →

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 妝; 妆 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
女女nǚfemale
Sound part声符shēngfú
爿
爿pán妝zhuāng
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The form 妝 combines 女, meaning female, with 爿 as a sound part; this describes 妝, not the simplified 妆.

Open 妆 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 6HSK 2.0 Level 6Toiletries & Cosmetics5000 Most Frequent Chinese Words

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