笑纹 (xiào wén) — laugh lines, smile lines (wrinkles on the face from laughing)

Definition

笑纹 (xiàowén) refers to the small wrinkles around the eyes and mouth that form from repeated smiling or laughing. It is a more literary, descriptive term than the colloquial 'crow's feet' (鱼尾纹).

noun
laugh linessmile lines (wrinkles on the face from laughing)
Measure word · 条

Examples

  • ，笑纹。
    Tā xiào qǐ lái de shí hou, xiào wén tè bié míng xiǎn.
    When she laughs, her laugh lines are very obvious.
  • ，笑纹。
    Suī rán nián jì bú dà, dàn tā yǐ jīng yǒu xiào wén le.
    Although she's not old, she already has laugh lines.
  • 笑纹。
    Zhè xiē xiào wén ràng tā kàn qǐ lái gèng qīn qiè.
    These laugh lines make her look more friendly.

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
纹wénwrinkle

笑 names smiling and 纹 names lines/wrinkles, so the word means laugh lines.

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 →

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 紋; 纹 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
糸糸mìthread
Sound part声符shēngfú
文
文wén紋
Same sound today

The traditional form 紋 pairs 糸 (thread) with 文 as the sound part, giving the sense of a line of thread; this note is about 紋, not 纹.

Open 纹 →

Browse more HSK 7-9 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.