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曼妙 (màn miào) — (literary) lithe and graceful (of a woman's figure or movement)

Definition

曼妙 (màn miào) is a literary, written term for a woman's lithe, graceful figure or movement — more elegant than everyday 好看 or 漂亮. Used in descriptions of dancing, posture, or silhouettes, not in casual speech.

verb
(literary) lithe and graceful (of a woman's figure or movement)

Examples

  • 曼妙。
    Tā de wǔ zī màn miào dòng rén.
    Her dance moves are lithe and graceful and moving.
  • 曼妙，。
    Nà wèi nǚ zǐ shēn cái màn miào, bù lǚ qīng yíng.
    That woman's figure is lithe and graceful, and her steps are light.
  • ，曼妙。
    Yuè guāng xià, tā de shēn yǐng xiǎn de gé wài màn miào.
    Under the moonlight, her silhouette appears exceptionally lithe and graceful.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

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

曼màngraceful
妙miàowonderful

曼 suggests graceful length and 妙 suggests beauty; together they describe a lithe, graceful figure or movement.

Characters in this word

No reliable origin is recorded for this character.

Open 曼 →

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
女女nǚwoman
Sound part声符shēngfú
少
少shǎo妙miào
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

妙 combines 女, a woman, with 少, which gives the sound.

Open 妙 →
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