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娇气 (jiāo qì) — delicate, squeamish, finicky (of a person, unable to endure hardship or discomfort)

Definition

娇气 describes a PERSON who is squeamish and unable to endure hardship — always negative in tone. Unlike 精致 or 精美 (about fine objects), it refers only to someone's soft, finicky character.

adjective
delicatesqueamishfinicky (of a person, unable to endure hardship or discomfort)

Examples

  • 娇气，。
    Tā tài jiāo qì le, lián zǒu jǐ bù lù dōu hǎn lèi.
    She's too delicate; she complains about being tired even after walking a few steps.
  • ，娇气，。
    Zhè hái zi cóng xiǎo bèi chǒng huài le, tè bié jiāo qì, fàn cài bù hé kǒu wèi jiù bù chī.
    This child has been spoiled since childhood and is very finicky; he won't eat if the food doesn't suit his taste.
  • 娇气，。
    Zuò zhè zhǒng gōng zuò bù néng tài jiāo qì, dé néng chī kǔ cái xíng.
    You can't be too squeamish for this kind of work; you have to be able to endure hardship.

Origin

Derived word
构词法gòucífǎ
后缀hòuzhuìSuffix

A fixed syllable at the end that turns the word into a noun, a person, a place or the like.

娇jiāodelicate
气qìair/quality

Delicate plus a general sense of air or quality describes a fragile, complaining temperament.

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.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 嬌; 娇 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
女女nǚwoman
Sound part声符shēngfú
喬
喬qiáo嬌jiāo
Same sound today

The traditional form 嬌 has 女 (woman) beside 喬, which gave the sound; the simplified 娇 is a shorthand.

Open 娇 →

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 氣; 气 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
米米mǐrice
Sound part声符shēngfú
气
气qì氣qì
Same sound today

The traditional form 氣 pairs 米 (rice) with 气, which supplies the sound; the simplified 气 is a later abbreviation.

Open 气 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9HSK 2.0 Level 6

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