中看 (zhōng kàn) — pleasant to the eyes, good-looking, attractive

Definition

中看 is a colloquial judgment meaning 'nice-looking' — used especially for food, clothes, or objects, often paired with 不中用 to contrast appearance with usefulness. It is more colloquial than 好看.

verb
pleasant to the eyesgood-lookingattractive

Examples

  • ，中看。
    Zhè ge cài bù jǐn hǎo chī, ér qiě hěn zhōng kàn.
    This dish is not only delicious but also looks very appealing.
  • 中看，。
    Zhè jiàn yī fu zhōng kàn bù zhōng yòng, zhì liàng bù hǎo.
    This piece of clothing looks good but isn't practical; the quality is poor.
  • 中看，。
    Zhè duǒ huā hěn zhōng kàn, ràng rén xiǎng duō kàn kàn.
    This flower is very pleasant to look at; it makes you want to look more.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

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

中zhōngsuit
看kànlooking

中 means to suit and 看 means looking, so it describes something that suits looking.

Characters in this word

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

The original picture showed a flagpole with a drum in the middle, set up in the center of a field.

Open 中 →

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

The shape 看 puts 手 (hand) over 目 (eye), showing a hand placed above the eyes to gaze into the distance.

Open 看 →

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