歪歪扭扭 (wāi wāi niǔ niǔ) — crooked, twisted, uneven (of lines, writing, seams, or alignment)

Definition

Reduplicated adverb/adj meaning 'crooked and twisted' — used of handwriting, lines, paths, or anything hanging unevenly. Stronger and more vivid than 弯曲, suggesting messy or zigzag rather than gently curved.

bound form
crookedtwisteduneven (of lines, writing, seams, or alignment)

Examples

  • 歪歪扭扭，。
    Tā xiě de zì wāi wāi niǔ niǔ de, hěn nán kàn qīng chǔ.
    His handwriting is all crooked and hard to read.
  • 歪歪扭扭。
    Zhè tiáo xiǎo lù wāi wāi niǔ niǔ dì tōng xiàng shān lǐ.
    This path winds crookedly into the mountains.
  • 歪歪扭扭，。
    Qiáng shàng de huà guà dé wāi wāi niǔ niǔ de, nǐ bǎ tā fú zhèng ba.
    The picture on the wall is hanging crooked — straighten it.

Origin

Reduplicated word
构词法gòucífǎ
重叠chóngdiéReduplication

A syllable said twice — for affection, for softness, or simply because that is how the word is said.

歪歪crooked
歪wāicrooked歪wāicrooked
扭扭twisted
扭niǔtwist扭niǔtwist

歪 means crooked and 扭 means twisted, and their doubled appearance strengthens the sense of uneven, twisted lines.

Characters in this word

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

歪 is written with 不 (not) above 正 (straight; proper), so the shape shows something that is not straight.

Open 歪 →

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

歪 is written with 不 (not) above 正 (straight; proper), so the shape shows something that is not straight.

Open 歪 →

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
手手shǒuhand
Sound part声符shēngfú
丑
丑chǒu扭niǔ
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

扭 has 手 (hand) beside 丑. The 手 part shows that the meaning involves a hand action, and 丑 gives the sound.

Open 扭 →

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
手手shǒuhand
Sound part声符shēngfú
丑
丑chǒu扭niǔ
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

扭 has 手 (hand) beside 丑. The 手 part shows that the meaning involves a hand action, and 丑 gives the sound.

Open 扭 →

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