含笑 (hán xiào) — (verb) to wear a gentle smile, to smile silently; (noun) Michelia flower (a type of magnolia)

Definition

Literary verb meaning 'to wear a gentle smile' — used of quiet, composed smiling rather than laughing aloud. As a noun, 含笑 also names the Michelia (含笑花), a fragrant magnolia.

verb
to wear a gentle smileto smile silently
noun
Michelia flower (a type of magnolia)

Examples

  • 含笑。
    Tā hán xiào zhe xiàng wǒ diǎn tóu.
    She nodded to me with a gentle smile.
  • 。
    Lǎo rén hán zhe cí xiáng de wēi xiào kàn zhe hái zi men.
    The old man watched the children with a kind smile.
  • 含笑，。
    Gōng yuán lǐ de hán xiào kāi huā le, xiāng qì pū bí.
    The Michelia flowers in the park are blooming, and their fragrance is strong.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

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

含hánhold
笑xiàosmile

“含” means hold and “笑” means smile, together describing holding a smile.

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.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
口口kǒumouth
Sound part声符shēngfú
今
今jīn含hán
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

含 is built from 口 (mouth) and 今 (jīn). The 口 part is about the mouth, while 今 gives the sound.

Open 含 →

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
犬犬quǎndog
Sound part声符shēngfú
艸
艸cǎo笑xiào
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

An early 笑 used the grass 艸 for the sound and the dog 犬 for the meaning; later it was written with 竹 and 夭.

Open 笑 →

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