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衣冠楚楚 (yī guān chǔ chǔ) — (idiom) immaculately dressed; well-groomed; (sometimes ironic) dressed to the nines

Definition

A set idiom meaning 'immaculately dressed, very neat in appearance' — often used with a hint of irony, suggesting the person may not be as respectable as they look.

idiom
immaculately dressedwell-groomed(sometimes ironic) dressed to the nines

Examples

  • 衣冠楚楚，。
    Tā yī guān chǔ chǔ, qù cān jiā zhòng yào de huì yì.
    He was immaculately dressed, going to an important meeting.
  • 衣冠楚楚，。
    Bié kàn tā yī guān chǔ chǔ, qí shí shì gè piàn zi.
    Don't be fooled by his immaculate dress; he's actually a swindler.
  • ，衣冠楚楚。
    Wǎn yàn shàng, měi gè rén dōu yī guān chǔ chǔ.
    At the banquet, everyone was immaculately dressed.

Origin

Characters in this word

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

The shape of 衣 comes from an outline of the chest and upper clothing.

Open 衣 →

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
冖冖mìhat
寸寸cùnhand
Sound part声符shēngfú
元
元yuán冠guàn
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

冠 shows a hand putting a hat on a head: 寸 is the hand, 冖 is the hat, and 元 is the head.

Open 冠 →

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
林林línforest; grove; woods
Sound part声符shēngfú
疋
疋pǐ楚chǔ
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The old form combined 林 (forest) with a part like a footprint, perhaps pointing to a place with a group of trees. In 楚, the lower part is written as 疋, which gives the sound and preserves part of that drawing.

Open 楚 →

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
林林línforest; grove; woods
Sound part声符shēngfú
疋
疋pǐ楚chǔ
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The old form combined 林 (forest) with a part like a footprint, perhaps pointing to a place with a group of trees. In 楚, the lower part is written as 疋, which gives the sound and preserves part of that drawing.

Open 楚 →
Appears in
AppearanceIdioms & Set Phrases

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