含羞 (hán xiū) — shyly, timidly (with a bashful or embarrassed manner)

Definition

Literary adverb meaning 'shyly, bashfully' — always precedes 地 + verb to describe a coy or embarrassed manner (含羞地笑). More formal and written than the plain 害羞 (shy).

adverb
shylytimidly (with a bashful or embarrassed manner)

Examples

  • 含羞，。
    Tā hán xiū dì xiào le xiào, méi yǒu shuō huà.
    She smiled shyly and didn't say anything.
  • 含羞。
    Xiǎo nán hái hán xiū dì duǒ zài mā ma shēn hòu.
    The little boy hid shyly behind his mother.
  • 含羞，。
    Tā hán xiū dì dì shàng yì fēng xìn, zhuǎn shēn jiù pǎo.
    He shyly handed over a letter and then turned and ran.

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
羞xiūshame

“含” means hold and “羞” means shame, together describing a shy manner.

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
羊羊yáng
Sound part声符shēngfú
丑
丑chǒu羞xiū
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

羞 is built from 羊, a sheep, as the meaning part, and 丑 for the sound.

Open 羞 →

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