TongTong
Sign in

花瓶 (huā píng) — flower vase; (figurative, informal) a person, especially a woman, kept for their looks rather than ability; a trophy employee

Definition

Literally 'flower vase'; figuratively a person (usually a woman) hired for looks, not ability — 'trophy' in workplace or social context. A common colloquial jab, not a polite term.

noun
flower vase(figurative, informal) a person, especially a woman, kept for their looks rather than abilitya trophy employee
Measure word · 个

Examples

  • 花瓶。
    Zhè ge huā píng shì péng you sòng gěi wǒ de shēng rì lǐ wù.
    This flower vase is a birthday gift from a friend.
  • 花瓶，。
    Tā zài zhè ge gōng sī jiù shì gè huā píng, méi yǒu shí jì gōng zuò néng lì.
    She's just a trophy at this company — no real work ability.
  • 花瓶，。
    Hěn duō rén jué de tā zhǐ shì piào liang de huā píng, qí shí tā fēi cháng cōng ming.
    Many people think she's just a pretty vase, but actually she's very smart.

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.

花huāflower
瓶píngvase

花 names the flowers, and 瓶 names the vessel, so the word means a vase for flowers.

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
艹Written in full as艸cǎograss; plant
Sound part声符shēngfú
化
化huà花
Same sound today

花 pairs 艹 (grass; plant) with 化, which gives the sound.

Open 花 →

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
瓦瓦wǎearthenware
Sound part声符shēngfú
并
并bìng瓶píng
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

瓶 uses 瓦 to show an earthenware vessel and 并 for the sound. The original vessel had a long slender neck and narrow mouth.

Open 瓶 →
Appears in
Miscellaneous Objects

Browse more HSK 7-9 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.