寒酸 (hán suān) — shabby, miserable, poverty-stricken (in appearance or living conditions); stingy, unpresentable (of gifts, expenses, or behavior)

Definition

Describes someone who looks shabby or whose gifts/actions seem unpresentable — covers both 'poverty-stricken appearance' and 'stingy, cheap' in one word. Stronger and more contemptuous than just 旧 ('worn-out').

adjective
shabbymiserablepoverty-stricken (in appearance or living conditions)stingyunpresentable (of gifts, expenses, or behavior)

Examples

  • 寒酸，。
    Tā chuān dé nà me hán suān, yí kàn jiù zhī dào shēng huó bù róng yì.
    He dresses so shabbily — you can tell at a glance that life is not easy for him.
  • 寒酸，。
    Tā sòng de lǐ wù tài hán suān le, ràng rén jué de tā hěn xiǎo qì.
    The gift she gave was too stingy; it made people think she is very cheap.
  • 寒酸，。
    Zhè jiān wū zi suī rán yǒu diǎn hán suān, dàn zhù zhe hěn wēn xīn.
    Although this room is a bit shabby, it is very cozy to live in.

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.

寒háncold/shabby
酸suānsour/shabby

寒酸 joins 寒 and 酸, both suggesting coldness and sourness, to describe a shabby or stingy look.

Characters in this word

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

  • 宀宀miánhouse
  • 人人rénperson
  • 茻茻mǎnggrass

寒 shows 宀 (house), 人 (person), and 茻 (grass): a person sleeping in grass inside a house to keep out the cold.

Open 寒 →

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
酉酉yǒu
Sound part声符shēngfú
夋
夋qūn酸suān
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

酸 is built from 酉 and 夋, and 夋 gives the sound.

Open 酸 →
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