娇艳 (jiāo yàn) — delicate and charming, gorgeous (of flowers, beauty, etc.)

Definition

Delicate and gorgeous in a soft, feminine way — typically for flowers or a woman's beauty. Stronger and more vivid than 美丽, with a sensual, lush tone rather than a plain 'pretty'.

adjective
delicate and charminggorgeous (of flowers, beauty, etc.)

Examples

  • 娇艳。
    Huā yuán lǐ kāi mǎn le jiāo yàn de huā duǒ.
    The garden is full of delicate and charming flowers.
  • 娇艳,。
    Tā chuān zhuó yí jiàn jiāo yàn de hóng qún, gé wài yǐn rén zhù mù.
    She wore a gorgeous red dress that really caught people's attention.
  • 娇艳。
    Chūn tiān de yīng huā gé wài jiāo yàn.
    The cherry blossoms in spring are particularly delicate and charming.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéSide by side

Two parts of equal weight, alike or opposite in meaning, standing side by side.

娇jiāodelicate
艳yànbeautiful

The senses of 娇 'delicate' and 艳 'beautiful' join to describe something delicate and glowing.

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.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 嬌; 娇 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
女女nǚwoman
Sound part声符shēngfú
喬
喬qiáo嬌jiāo
Same sound today

The traditional form 嬌 has 女 (woman) beside 喬, which gave the sound; the simplified 娇 is a shorthand.

Open 娇 →

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 豔; 艳 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
豐豐fēngabundant, great
Sound part声符shēngfú
盇
盇hé豔yàn
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 豔 pairs 豐 (abundant, great) with a sound component 盇; the simplified 艳 is a later abbreviation.

Open 艳 →

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