羞涩 (xiū sè) — shy, bashful | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

A more literary word for 'shy, bashful,' describing how someone visibly shrinks away from attention. It emphasizes the visible awkwardness of feeling shy, stronger than the everyday 害羞.

adjective

shybashful

Examples

羞涩。
Tā dì yī cì shàng tái yǎn jiǎng shí xiǎn de hěn xiū sè.
She looked very shy when giving a speech on stage for the first time.
羞涩，。
Tā xiū sè dì dī xià le tóu, bù gǎn kàn duì fāng.
He bashfully lowered his head, not daring to look at the other person.
，羞涩。
Miàn duì mò shēng rén de kuā jiǎng, tā liǎn shàng lù chū yì sī xiū sè de xiào róng.
Faced with a stranger's compliment, she showed a shy smile.

Origin

Compound word

构词法gòucífǎ

联合liánhéCoordinate

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

涩sèbashful

羞 gives shyness, and 涩 adds awkward bashfulness.

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.

羊丑羞

Meaning part形符xíngfú

Sound part声符shēngfú

丑

丑chǒu羞xiū

The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

羞 is built from 羊, a sheep, as the meaning part, and 丑 for the sound.

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 澀; 涩 is its simplified writing.

The traditional form 澀 is the historical shape being explained; a water-related part was added to it later. The simplified 涩 is only a shorthand.

Appears in

Personality & Traits

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