皎洁 (jiǎo jié) — (of moonlight) bright and clear; luminous and pure

Definition

Used almost exclusively to describe bright, pure moonlight. More literary than 明亮; it carries a clean, almost cold whiteness and is rarely applied to ordinary light sources.

adjective
(of moonlight) bright and clearluminous and pure

Examples

  • 皎洁。
    Jīn wǎn de yuè guāng shí fēn jiǎo jié.
    The moonlight tonight is very bright and clear.
  • 皎洁，。
    jiǎo jié De yuè guāng sǎ zài dà dì shàng, xiàng yī céng yín shuāng.
    The bright, clear moonlight spills over the earth like a layer of silver frost.
  • ，皎洁。
    Shēn qiū de yè kōng zhōng, yì lún míng yuè jiǎo jié rú jìng.
    In the deep-autumn night sky, a bright moon is as clear and pure as a mirror.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéSide by side

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

皎jiǎobright
洁jiépure

皎 gives brightness and 洁 gives purity; together they mean bright and clear.

Characters in this word

No reliable origin is recorded for this character.

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 潔; 洁 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
氵Written in full as水shuǐwater
Sound part声符shēngfú
絜
絜jié潔jié
Same sound today

The traditional form 潔 pairs 氵, a water part, with 絜, which gives the sound; the simplified 洁 is a later abbreviation.

Open 洁 →

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