光溜溜 (guāng liū liū) — smooth and glossy; slippery (surface, skin); ba… | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

A vivid, colloquial adjective (tagged as verb) meaning 'smooth and bare' — used for surfaces that feel slick or bodies/landscapes stripped of covering. Often reduplicated for color and a casual tone.

verb

smooth and glossyslippery (surface, skin)bare and nakedstripped (body, landscape)

Examples

光溜溜。
Zhè zhǒng shí tou mō qǐ lái guāng liū liū de.
This kind of stone feels smooth and slippery.
，光溜溜。
Dōng tiān shù shàng de yè zi diào guāng le, shù zhī guāng liū liū de.
In winter, all the leaves have fallen off the tree and the branches are bare.
，光溜溜。
Tā tì le gè guāng tóu, tóu dǐng guāng liū liū de.
He shaved his head and his scalp is completely bare.

Origin

Derived word

构词法gòucífǎ

后缀hòuzhuìSuffix

A fixed syllable at the end that turns the word into a noun, a person, a place or the like.

光guāngsmooth/bare

溜溜slippery

溜liūslippery溜liūslippery

重叠Reduplication

光 carries the core sense of bare or smooth, while the repeated 溜 gives a slippery, glossy feel.

Characters in this word

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

火火huǒfire
卩卩jiékneeling person

The shape 光 places 火 (fire) above 卩 (a kneeling person), showing fire over the head and the shining of light.

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

氵留溜

Meaning part形符xíngfú

氵Written in full as水shuǐwater

Sound part声符shēngfú

留

留liú溜liù

Same sound today

The left part 氵 shows water; the right part 留 gives the sound. The evidence connects 溜 to a river name.

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

氵留溜

Meaning part形符xíngfú

氵Written in full as水shuǐwater

Sound part声符shēngfú

留

留liú溜liù

Same sound today

The left part 氵 shows water; the right part 留 gives the sound. The evidence connects 溜 to a river name.

Appears in

Texture & Quality

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