TongTong
Sign in

精美 (jīng měi) — delicate, fine, exquisite

Definition

精巧 and 精妙 describe the clever design of an object itself; 精美 focuses on how beautiful and finely made it looks overall. Common for gifts, packaging, jewelry, and crafts.

adjective
delicatefineexquisite

Examples

  • 精美。
    Zhè ge lǐ wù bāo zhuāng dé shí fēn jīng měi.
    This gift is wrapped very exquisitely.
  • 精美。
    Bó wù guǎn lǐ zhǎn chū le xǔ duō jīng měi de cí qì.
    Many fine porcelain pieces are exhibited in the museum.
  • 精美。
    Tā dài le yì tiáo jīng měi de xiàng liàn.
    She wore a delicate necklace.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

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

精jīngrefined
美měibeautiful

The refinement of 精 and the beauty of 美 together suggest delicate, fine quality.

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
米米mǐrice
Sound part声符shēngfú
青
青qīng精jīng
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

精 pairs 米 (rice) with 青, which gives the sound; the character originally meant polished rice.

Open 精 →

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

美 shows 大, a person, wearing 羊, a headdress of feathers or ram's horn.

Open 美 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 6Appearance

Browse more HSK 6 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.