笑靥 (xiào yè) — (literary) dimples when smiling; a smiling face

Definition

Literary/poetic word for a dimpled, smiling face — used in writing about beauty, almost never in everyday speech. It emphasizes the charm of the smile itself, not just the dimples.

noun
(literary) dimples when smilinga smiling face

Examples

  • ，笑靥。
    Tā wēi wēi yí xiào, shuāng jiá lù chū liǎng gè qiǎn qiǎn de xiào yè.
    She gave a gentle smile, revealing two shallow dimples on her cheeks.
  • 笑靥，。
    Shī zhōng miáo xiě le shào nǚ rú huā bān de xiào yè, lìng rén xīn dòng.
    The poem describes the girl's flower-like smiling face, which is enchanting.
  • ，笑靥。
    Nà zhāng jiù zhào piàn shàng, mǔ qīn nián qīng shí de xiào yè yī rán qīng xī kě jiàn.
    In that old photograph, the dimples on my mother's young face are still clearly visible.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
偏正piānzhèngModifier + head

The first part narrows down the second: it says what kind of thing the head is.

笑xiàosmile
靥yèdimple

A smiling 笑 dimple 靥 gives a cheerful face.

Characters in this word

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
犬犬quǎndog
Sound part声符shēngfú
艸
艸cǎo笑xiào
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

An early 笑 used the grass 艸 for the sound and the dog 犬 for the meaning; later it was written with 竹 and 夭.

Open 笑 →

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 靨; 靥 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
面面miànface
Sound part声符shēngfú
厭
厭yàn靨yè
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 靨 uses 面 for face and 厭 for the sound; the simplified 靥 is a later shorthand.

Open 靥 →

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