妙趣横生 (miào qù héng shēng) — full of wit and humor, sparkling with delightful remarks

Definition

Literary idiom praising writing or speech that brims with wit and charm. Most often used in formal reviews and commentary, more ornate than everyday 'funny' words like 幽默.

idiom
full of wit and humor, sparkling with delightful remarks

Examples

  • 妙趣横生，。
    Tā de yǎn jiǎng miào qù héng shēng, guān zhòng xiào dé tíng bú xià lái.
    His speech was full of wit and humor — the audience couldn't stop laughing.
  • ，妙趣横生。
    Zhè běn xiǎo shuō yǔ yán shēng dòng, miào qù héng shēng.
    This novel has vivid language and is sparkling with delightful remarks.
  • 妙趣横生，。
    Nà wèi xiàng sheng yǎn yuán de biǎo yǎn miào qù héng shēng, ràng rén yìn xiàng shēn kè.
    That crosstalk performer's act was full of wit and humor, leaving a deep impression.

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.

妙趣wonderful charm
妙miàowonderful趣qùcharm
偏正Modifier + head
横生overflowing
横héngacross生shēngarise
偏正Modifier + head

妙趣 are delightful ideas, and 横生 pictures them arising everywhere, making the sense of sparkling wit.

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
女女nǚwoman
Sound part声符shēngfú
少
少shǎo妙miào
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

妙 combines 女, a woman, with 少, which gives the sound.

Open 妙 →

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
走走zǒuwalk
Sound part声符shēngfú
取
取qǔ趣qù
Same sound today

趣 has 走, showing walking or hurrying, and 取, which gives the sound; the shape points to moving toward something.

Open 趣 →

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 橫; 横 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
木木mùwood
Sound part声符shēngfú
黃
黃huáng橫héng
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 橫 has 木, meaning wood, beside 黃, which supplies the sound; the simplified 横 is a later abbreviation.

Open 横 →

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

生 shows 屮 (a bud) above 一 (the ground), drawing a sprout coming up from the earth.

Open 生 →

Browse more HSK 7-9 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.