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窈窕 (yǎo tiǎo) — graceful and attractive (of a woman)

Definition

A literary word meaning a woman is slender and graceful in bearing — far more formal and poetic than everyday words for 'pretty'. Used almost exclusively about women, often paired with 淑女 (a gentle lady).

verb
graceful and attractive (of a woman)

Examples

  • 窈窕。
    Tā de shēn cái yǎo tiǎo dòng rén.
    Her figure is graceful and captivating.
  • 窈窕。
    Zhè shǒu shī miáo xiě le yí wèi yǎo tiǎo de nǚ zǐ.
    This poem describes a graceful lady.
  • ，窈窕。
    Tā zài huā yuán lǐ zǒu zhe, bù tài yǎo tiǎo.
    She walked in the garden with graceful steps.

Origin

Single-morpheme word
构词法gòucífǎ
联绵liánmiánBound pair

Two characters that only ever appear together, spelling one ancient two-syllable word.

窈yǎo
窕tiǎo

The characters 窈 and 窕 do not carry independent meanings here; together they describe a graceful woman.

Sound-only characters

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
穴穴xuécave
Sound part声符shēngfú
幼
幼yòu窈yǎo
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

窈 uses 穴 (cave) to mark the meaning area and 幼 to give the sound.

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
穴穴xuécave
Sound part声符shēngfú
兆
兆zhào窕
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

窕 pairs 穴 (cave) with 兆, which supplies the sound.

Appears in
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