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相貌 (xiàng mào) — facial features, appearance (especially of a person)

Definition

相貌 focuses on facial features specifically. 长相 is a near-synonym used more in speech; 外貌 and 容貌 sound more written/literary, and 面貌 can also describe a place or organization.

noun
facial featuresappearance (especially of a person)

Examples

  • 相貌，。
    Tā de xiàng mào duān zhèng, yí kàn jiù shì hǎo rén.
    His features are regular; you can tell he's a good person at a glance.
  • 相貌，。
    Tā suī rán xiàng mào píng píng, dàn cái huá chū zhòng.
    Although her appearance is plain, she has outstanding talent.
  • 相貌，。
    Gǔ rén shuō xiàng mào yóu xīn shēng, zhè huà yǒu yí dìng dào lǐ.
    The ancients said that appearance comes from the heart; there is some truth to that.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

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

相xiāngfeatures
貌màoappearance

“相” (features) and “貌” (appearance) are parallel terms for how someone looks.

Characters in this word

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

In 相, 目 is an eye and 木 is a tree, showing an eye looking at a tree; this originally meant “to observe.”

Open 相 →

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
皃皃màolooks
Sound part声符shēngfú
豹
豹bào貌
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

貌 uses 皃, an older picture of a face, to show looks, and 豹 as a sound part.

Open 貌 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9Appearance

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