容貌 (róng mào) — one's appearance, looks, features

Definition

容貌 (róngmào) means 'appearance, looks,' with a literary tone and broader scope than 长相, which refers more specifically to a person's face.

noun
one's appearancelooksfeatures

Examples

  • 容貌。
    Tā yīng jùn de róng mào gěi rén liú xià shēn kè yìn xiàng.
    His handsome appearance leaves a deep impression on people.
  • 容貌。
    Shǒu shù hòu tā de róng mào huī fù dé hěn hǎo.
    Her appearance recovered well after the surgery.
  • 容貌。
    Jiě mèi liǎ de róng mào fēi cháng xiāng sì.
    The two sisters have very similar looks.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéSide by side

Two parts of equal weight, alike or opposite in meaning, standing side by side.

容róngappearance
貌màoappearance

容 and 貌 both refer to outward look, together meaning appearance.

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 →

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
皃皃màolooks
Sound part声符shēngfú
豹
豹bào貌
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

貌 uses 皃, an older picture of a face, to show looks, and 豹 as a sound part.

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

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