娴熟 (xián shú) — adept, skilled

Definition

Formal/literary adjective meaning 'highly skilled, adept' — used in writing about mastering a skill (music, language, handling tasks). Stronger and more elegant than the everyday 熟练.

adjective
adeptskilled

Examples

  • 娴熟。
    Tā de gāng qín tán dé shí fēn xián shú.
    She plays the piano very skillfully.
  • 娴熟,。
    Tā zhōng wén shuō dé fēi cháng xián shú, jiù xiàng mǔ yǔ yí yàng.
    He speaks Chinese very fluently, just like a native language.
  • 娴熟。
    Tā chǔ lǐ zhè xiē fù zá de wén jiàn fēi cháng xián shú.
    He handles these complex documents very skillfully.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

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

娴xiánskilled
熟shúskilled

娴 and 熟 both convey proficiency, so together they mean skilled.

Characters in this word

No reliable origin is recorded for this character.

Open 娴 →

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

熟 combines 孰 (cooked; ripe) with 灬 (fire), showing food cooked with fire.

Open 熟 →

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