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温文尔雅 (wēn wén ěr yā) — gentle, refined, and well-mannered (of a person's temperament or demeanor)

Definition

A chengyu describing someone whose temperament and manners are gentle, cultivated, and elegant. Used as praise for a person's bearing — stronger and more literary than a plain word like 礼貌.

idiom
gentlerefinedand well-mannered (of a person's temperament or demeanor)

Examples

  • 温文尔雅，。
    Zhè wèi jiào shòu shuō huà wēn wén ěr yā, ràng rén gǎn jué hěn shū fu.
    This professor speaks gently and elegantly, making people feel very comfortable.
  • 温文尔雅，。
    Tā jǔ zhǐ wēn wén ěr yā, yí kàn jiù zhī dào shòu guò liáng hǎo de jiào yù.
    His manners are refined and graceful — you can tell at a glance that he has received a good education.
  • ，温文尔雅，。
    Suī rán tā chū shēn píng fán, dàn qì zhì wēn wén ěr yā, hěn shòu rén zūn jìng.
    Although she comes from a humble background, her temperament is gentle and refined, and she is highly respected.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

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

温文gentle and cultured
温wēngentle文wéncultured
联合Coordinate
尔雅so elegant
尔ěrso雅yǎelegant
偏正Modifier + head

温文 combines gentle and cultured, and 尔雅 adds an elegant touch, together describing refined manners.

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.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 溫; 温 is its simplified writing.

The traditional form 溫 is based on an older form 𥁕, which drew a person bathing in a container full of warm water. The simplified 温 is a later variant.

Open 温 →

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 →

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

假借jiǎjièLater borrowed for its sound alone — the picture has nothing to do with today’s meaning.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 爾; 尔 is its simplified writing.

The traditional form 爾, simplified as 尔, originally drew cloth on a loom with crossing threads. It was borrowed for its sound to write “you,” so the picture is unrelated to that meaning.

Open 尔 →

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
隹隹zhuīa short-tailed bird
Sound part声符shēngfú
牙
牙yá雅yǎ
Same sound today

雅 pairs 隹, a short-tailed bird, with 牙 as its sound part; the bird was a rook/crow, and the sense was extended to refined.

Open 雅 →
Appears in
Idioms & Set PhrasesPersonality & Traits

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