笑意 (xiào yì) — smile; expression of amusement or happiness

Definition

A literary word for the smile or hint of amusement on someone's face — more poetic than 微笑, which names the smile itself. Often used to describe an expression that lingers in the eyes or mouth rather than a full laugh.

noun
smileexpression of amusement or happiness
Easily confused

Examples

  • 笑意，。
    Tā liǎn shàng dài zhe xiào yì, kàn qǐ lái xīn qíng bú cuò.
    He had a smile on his face and looked in a good mood.
  • 笑意。
    Tā de yǎn shén lǐ cáng zhe yì sī jiǎo xiá de xiào yì.
    There was a hint of mischievous amusement hidden in her eyes.
  • ，笑意。
    Tīng dào zhè ge xiào hua, tā zuǐ jiǎo bù jīn fàn qǐ le xiào yì.
    Hearing this joke, she couldn't help the smile that crept across her lips.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
偏正piānzhèngModifier + head

The first part narrows down the second: it says what kind of thing the head is.

笑xiàosmile
意yìmood

The sense of smiling in 笑 and mood in 意 combine to mean a smile's intent or expression.

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.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
犬犬quǎndog
Sound part声符shēngfú
艸
艸cǎo笑xiào
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

An early 笑 used the grass 艸 for the sound and the dog 犬 for the meaning; later it was written with 竹 and 夭.

Open 笑 →

No reliable origin is recorded for this character.

Open 意 →

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