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情调 (qíng diào) — (romantic or artistic) atmosphere; aura; aesthetic taste; stylishness

Definition

情调 is the atmosphere or aesthetic flavor of a place, music, or person — the stylish mood it gives off, not the emotion you feel inside. Distinct from 心情 (your own mood) and 感情 (your feelings toward someone).

noun
(romantic or artistic) atmosphereauraaesthetic tastestylishness

Examples

  • 情调，。
    Zhè jiā kā fēi guǎn de qíng diào hěn wēn xīn, shì hé yuē huì.
    This café has a cozy, romantic atmosphere, perfect for a date.
  • 情调，。
    Tā shì gè hěn yǒu qíng diào de rén, jiā lǐ de měi jiàn zhuāng shì dōu jīng xīn tiāo xuǎn.
    She is a person of great taste; every piece of decoration at home is carefully chosen.
  • 情调，。
    Zhè shǒu qǔ zi chōng mǎn le gǔ diǎn qíng diào, ràng rén xīn qíng píng jìng.
    This piece of music is full of classical elegance, making people feel calm.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
偏正piānzhèngModifier + head

The first part narrows down the second: it says what kind of thing the head is.

情qíngfeeling
调tiáotone

情 means feeling and 调 means tone, together giving the emotional tone or mood of something.

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
心心xīnheart
Sound part声符shēngfú
青
青qīng情qíng
Same sound today

情 shows 心 (heart) beside 青, which gives the sound. The heart part points to feelings and inner states.

Open 情 →

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 調; 调 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
言言yán
Sound part声符shēngfú
周
周zhōu調tiáo
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 調 pairs 言 (speech) with 周, which shows how it was pronounced. The simplified 调 is a later shorthand.

Open 调 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9Abstract Concepts

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