娇贵 (jiāo guì) — (of a person) spoiled, pampered, delicate — unable to endure hardship or rough conditions; (of an object) delicate, fragile, easily damaged and requiring careful handling; (of health or constitution) frail, sensitive — easily affected by minor changes

Definition

娇贵 describes someone or something that is delicate and hard to keep in good condition — pampered people can't handle hardship, fragile things need careful handling, and frail constitutions get sick easily.

adjective
(of a person) spoiled, pampered, delicate — unable to endure hardship or rough conditions(of an object) delicate, fragile, easily damaged and requiring careful handling(of health or constitution) frail, sensitive — easily affected by minor changes

Examples

  • ，娇贵。
    Tā cóng xiǎo jiù bèi fù mǔ chǒng zhe, xìng gé hěn jiāo guì.
    She has been spoiled by her parents since childhood, so she has a delicate personality.
  • 娇贵，。
    Zhè ge gǔ dǒng hěn jiāo guì, bān yùn de shí hou yí dìng yào xiǎo xīn.
    This antique is very fragile — you must be careful when moving it.
  • 娇贵，。
    Tā de shēn tǐ hěn jiāo guì, yī zháo liáng jiù gǎn mào.
    His health is very fragile; he catches a cold as soon as he gets chilled.

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; tender
贵guìprecious; expensive

娇 (delicate) and 贵 (precious) together suggest something fragile and pampered.

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 貴; 贵 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
貝貝bèimoney cowrie
Sound part声符shēngfú
臾
臾yú貴guì
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 貴 uses 貝, a money cowrie, for meaning and 臾 for sound. The simplified 贵 is a later shorthand, and its parts are not the old parts.

Open 贵 →

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