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美发 (měi fà) — to have one's hair done (at a salon), to get a haircut or hairstyle

Definition

美 (měi) means 'beautify' and 发 is short for 头发 ('hair') — together 美发 means to get one's hair styled or cut at a salon. More focused on styling than a plain 理发 (a basic haircut).

verb
to have one's hair done (at a salon)to get a haircut or hairstyle

Examples

  • 美发。
    Wǒ xiǎng qù měi fà.
    I want to go get my hair done.
  • 。
    Wǒ měi gè yuè dōu měi yí cì fā.
    I get my hair done once a month.
  • 美发。
    Zhè jiā diàn zuò měi fà zuò dé hěn hǎo.
    This shop does hair styling very well.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

An action followed by what it acts on, fused into one word.

美měibeautify
发fāhair

美, to beautify, and 发, hair, together mean having one's hair styled.

Characters in this word

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 →

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 發; 发 is its simplified writing.

The simplified 发 stands for more than one traditional character. In most words (爆发, 出发) it is 發; in others (理发, 头发) it is 髮.

The form 發, which 发 stands for in many words, was originally drawn as a bow firing an arrow.

Open 发 →
Appears in
Hygiene & Grooming

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