喜形于色 (xǐ xíng yú sè) — to be radiant with joy; to beam with pleasure

Definition

A formal chengyu meaning one's happiness shows clearly on one's face — 'joy written all over one's face.' Used in writing or narrative, not casual speech.

idiom
to be radiant with joyto beam with pleasure

Examples

  • ，喜形于色。
    Tā tīng dào hǎo xiāo xi hòu, xǐ xíng yú sè.
    After hearing the good news, his face lit up with joy.
  • ，喜形于色。
    Kàn dào duō nián wèi jiàn de péng you, tā xǐ xíng yú sè.
    Seeing a friend she hadn't met in years, she beamed with delight.
  • ，喜形于色。
    Ér zi kǎo shàng dà xué, fù mǔ xǐ xíng yú sè.
    When their son was admitted to university, his parents were radiant with joy.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
主谓zhǔwèiSubject + predicate

A small sentence frozen into a word: something, and what it does or is.

喜xǐjoy
形于色show in the face
形xíngshow于yúin色sèface
补充Verb + complement

喜 is joy; 形 means show, 于 points to 色, the face, so joy appears on the face.

Characters in this word

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

喜 combines 壴, a drum, with 口, a mouth.

Open 喜 →

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
彡彡shān
Sound part声符shēngfú
井
井jǐng形xíng
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

形 is made from 彡 and 井, with 井 providing the sound.

Open 形 →

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

  • 一一yīflat stream of air
  • 丂丂kǎoto exhale

The old shape of 于 may have pictured an ancient wind instrument. Another explanation reads 一 as a flat stream of air and 丂 as an exhaling mark.

Open 于 →

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

  • 爪爪zhuǎclaw; hand
  • 卩卩jiékneeling person

色 pairs 爪 (a hand) with 卩 (a kneeling person), showing a hand pressing down on the kneeling person.

Open 色 →

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