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玲珑 (líng lóng) — exquisitely delicate and intricate (of objects); clever and nimble (of people); bright and clear (of the moon)

Definition

A literary adjective praising exquisite delicacy of an object, cleverness of a person (esp. 玲珑剔透), or the bright clarity of the moon. Mainly found in written or poetic contexts.

adjective
exquisitely delicate and intricate (of objects)clever and nimble (of people)bright and clear (of the moon)

Examples

  • 玲珑。
    Zhè jiàn yù qì diāo kè dé shí fēn líng lóng.
    This jade piece is carved with exquisite delicacy.
  • 玲珑，。
    Tā shì gè líng lóng tī tòu de nǚ hái, fēi cháng cōng ming.
    She is a clever and quick-witted girl, very intelligent.
  • 玲珑。
    Yè kōng zhōng guà zhe yì lún líng lóng de míng yuè.
    A bright and clear full moon hung in the night sky.

Origin

Single-morpheme word
构词法gòucífǎ
联绵liánmiánBound pair

Two characters that only ever appear together, spelling one ancient two-syllable word.

玲líng
珑lóng

The characters 玲 and 珑 carry no meaning on their own here; together they describe something exquisitely delicate or nimble.

Sound-only characters

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
玉玉yùjade
Sound part声符shēngfú
令
令lìng玲
Same sound today

玲 pairs 玉 (jade) with 令, which gives its sound.

Open 玲 →

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 瓏; 珑 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
玉玉yùjade
Sound part声符shēngfú
龍
龍lóng瓏
Same sound today

For 珑, the traditional form 瓏 pairs 玉 (jade) with 龍 (dragon), which gives the sound.

Appears in
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