文质彬彬 (wén zhì bīn bīn) — (idiom) refined and courteous in manner; suave;…

Definition

Idiom describing a man who is refined and polite in manner, both gentle and cultivated. Always positive — used to praise someone's demeanor, never to mock it.

idiom

refined and courteous in mannersuaveurbane

Examples

文质彬彬，。
Tā kàn qǐ lái wén zhì bīn bīn, hěn yǒu jiào yǎng.
He looks refined and courteous, very well-educated.
文质彬彬，。
Zhè wèi jiào shòu shuō huà wén zhì bīn bīn, ràng rén gǎn jué hěn shū fu.
This professor speaks in a refined manner, making people feel very comfortable.
文质彬彬。
Tā wén zhì bīn bīn de jǔ zhǐ yíng dé le dà jiā de zūn zhòng.
His refined and courteous behavior earned everyone's respect.

Origin

Characters in this word

An abstract idea shown by a mark or a diagram rather than by a picture of an object.

The current form 文 shows a man with head, arms, legs, and chest; the tattoo marks on the chest are no longer drawn.

Open 文 →

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 質; 质 is its simplified writing.

斦貝質

斦斦yín
貝貝bèi

The traditional form 質 is made up of 貝 and 斦; this describes 質, not the simplified 质.

Open 质 →

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

彡彡shān

Sound part声符shēngfú

焚

焚fén彬

The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

彬 joins 焚 and 彡; 焚 gives the sound, and 彡 gives the meaning.

Open 彬 →