瘦 (shòu) — thin, slim (for people and animals); tight (for clothing); lean (for meat)
Definition
Use 瘦 for a person's (or animal's) body shape and for tight clothing or lean meat. For objects that are thin in thickness, use 薄; for a graceful feminine figure, 苗条 is more complimentary than plain 瘦.
adjective
thinslim (for people and animals)tight (for clothing)lean (for meat)
Examples
- 瘦。Tā shòu le hěn duō.He has become very thin.
- 瘦。Zhè kuài zhū ròu hěn shòu.This piece of pork is very lean.
- 瘦。Zhè tiáo kù zi tài shòu le.These pants are too tight.
Origin
Sound + meaning六书liùshū
形声xíngshēngMost 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
疒疒nè
Sound part声符shēngfú
叟
叟sǒu瘦shòu
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.
瘦 is built from 疒 and 叟: 疒 gives the meaning, and 叟 gives the sound.
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