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容光焕发 (róng guāng huàn fā) — (idiom) to have a radiant complexion; to be glowing with health and vitality

Definition

Means 'face glowing, radiant with health/vitality' — about how a person looks. Unlike 眉开眼笑 ('beaming with joy') or 兴高采烈 ('in high spirits'), the focus is the complexion itself, not the emotion.

idiom
to have a radiant complexionto be glowing with health and vitality

Examples

  • ，容光焕发。
    Tā zuì jìn jiān chí duàn liàn, zhěng gè rén róng guāng huàn fā.
    He has been exercising regularly lately, and he looks radiant all over.
  • 容光焕发，。
    Xīn niáng jīn tiān róng guāng huàn fā, xiào dé tè bié kāi xīn.
    The bride looks glowing today, smiling especially happily.
  • ，容光焕发。
    Xiū xi le yì zhōu hòu, tā róng guāng huàn fā dì huí dào le gōng zuò gǎng wèi.
    After resting for a week, she returned to work with a radiant face.

Origin

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
宀宀mián
Sound part声符shēngfú
公
公gōng容róng
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

In 容, the 宀 (roof) part points to holding or containing, and 公 gives the sound.

Open 容 →

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

  • 火火huǒfire
  • 卩卩jiékneeling person

The shape 光 places 火 (fire) above 卩 (a kneeling person), showing fire over the head and the shining of light.

Open 光 →

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 煥; 焕 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
火火huǒfire
Sound part声符shēngfú
奐
奐huàn煥huàn
Same sound today

In the traditional form 煥, 火 is the fire part and 奐 gives the sound. The simplified 焕 is a later shorthand.

Open 焕 →

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 發; 发 is its simplified writing.

The simplified 发 stands for more than one traditional character. In most words (爆发, 出发) it is 發; in others (理发, 头发) it is 髮.

The form 發, which 发 stands for in many words, was originally drawn as a bow firing an arrow.

Open 发 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9AppearanceIdioms & Set Phrases

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