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阳刚 (yáng gāng) — manly; virile; masculine (of a man's qualities)

Definition

阳刚 describes the strong, tough, masculine qualities expected of a man (courage, vigor). Contrast with 阴柔, its opposite pair: graceful, gentle feminine qualities.

adjective
manlyvirilemasculine (of a man's qualities)

Examples

  • 阳刚。
    Tā gěi rén yì zhǒng hěn yáng gāng de gǎn jué.
    He gives people a very manly impression.
  • 阳刚。
    Zhè bù diàn yǐng zhǎn xiàn le nán xìng de yáng gāng zhī měi.
    This film showcases the beauty of masculine strength.
  • 。
    Chuán tǒng guān niàn rèn wéi nán rén yīng gāi yǒu yáng gāng zhī qì.
    Traditional views hold that men should have a masculine spirit.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

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

阳yángmasculine
刚gāngfirm

阳 (masculine) and 刚 (firm) combine to mean manly, virile strength.

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.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 陽; 阳 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
阜阜fùhill
Sound part声符shēngfú
昜
昜yáng陽yáng
Same sound today

In the traditional form 陽, 阜 shows a hill and 昜 is the older character for the word, tied to sunshine and the sound; simplified 阳 is a later shorthand.

Open 阳 →

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 剛; 刚 is its simplified writing.

The traditional form 剛 was made by combining a picture-like sign with a sign that gave its sound; the simplified 刚 is a later shorthand.

Open 刚 →
Appears in
Personality & Traits

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