典雅 (diǎn yǎ) — elegant, refined (esp. of language, style, or taste)

Definition

A formal, written word for 'elegant, refined' — used mainly for language, art, and design, not people. Stronger and more literary than 优雅, which is more everyday.

adjective
elegantrefined (esp. of language, style, or taste)

Examples

  • 典雅，。
    Tā de wén zhāng yǔ yán diǎn yǎ, dú qǐ lái fēi cháng shū fu.
    The language of her article is elegant and very comfortable to read.
  • 典雅，。
    Zhè zuò jiàn zhù de shè jì fēng gé diǎn yǎ dà fāng, shēn shòu yóu kè xǐ ài.
    The design style of this building is elegant and generous, deeply loved by tourists.
  • ，。
    Tā shuō huà shí yòng cí diǎn yǎ, xiǎn de hěn yǒu jiào yǎng.
    When he speaks, his word choice is refined, appearing very cultured.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéSide by side

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

典diǎnclassical
雅yǎelegant

“典” and “雅” both point to refined elegance, together elegant and refined.

Characters in this word

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

  • 冊冊cèbooks
  • 丌丌qítable

典 puts 冊 (books) on a 丌 (table), showing official books resting on a table.

Open 典 →

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
隹隹zhuīa short-tailed bird
Sound part声符shēngfú
牙
牙yá雅yǎ
Same sound today

雅 pairs 隹, a short-tailed bird, with 牙 as its sound part; the bird was a rook/crow, and the sense was extended to refined.

Open 雅 →
Appears in
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