灵巧 (líng qiǎo) — deft, nimble; ingenious | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

灵巧 emphasizes physical deftness — dexterous hands, nimble movements, skillfully made objects. Pairs more with body and craft than 巧妙 (which praises methods/designs) or 敏捷 (pure speed of movement).

adjective

deftnimbleingenious

Examples

灵巧，。
Tā de shǒu zhǐ hěn líng qiǎo, néng tán hěn fù zá de qǔ zi.
Her fingers are very nimble and can play very complex tunes.
灵巧，。
Zhè ge jī qì rén de dòng zuò fēi cháng líng qiǎo, jī hū hé zhēn rén yí yàng.
This robot's movements are very nimble, almost like a real person.
灵巧，。
Tā zuò de shǒu gōng yì pǐn zuò gōng líng qiǎo, hěn shòu huān yíng.
The handicrafts he makes are deftly made and very popular.

Origin

Compound word

构词法gòucífǎ

联合liánhéCoordinate

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

巧qiǎoskillful

“灵” as clever and “巧” as skillful together describe deft, nimble skill.

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 靈; 灵 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú

玉玉yùjade

Sound part声符shēngfú

霝

霝líng靈líng

Same sound today

This note describes the traditional form 靈, not the simplified 灵: 霝 gives the sound, and 玉 (jade) is the meaning part.

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

工丂巧

Meaning part形符xíngfú

Sound part声符shēngfú

丂

丂kǎo巧qiǎo

Same sound today

巧 is made of 工 and 丂; 工 points to its meaning, and 丂 points to its sound.

Appears in

HSK 3.0 Level 7-9 Personality & Traits

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