TongTong
Sign in

精彩 (jīng cǎi) — wonderful, brilliant, splendid

Definition

精彩 describes vivid, impressive performances, speeches, or content — 'brilliant, splendid' in the sense of engaging and skillful. Lighter than 辉煌 ('glorious, grand,' used for achievements and eras) and more active/dynamic than 美妙.

adjective
wonderfulbrilliantsplendid

Examples

  • 精彩。
    Zhè chǎng biǎo yǎn fēi cháng jīng cǎi.
    This performance is absolutely wonderful.
  • 精彩。
    Zhè běn shū de nèi róng hěn jīng cǎi.
    The content of this book is brilliant.
  • 精彩。
    Tā de fā yán shí fēn jīng cǎi.
    His speech was splendid.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

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

精jīngbrilliant
彩cǎisplendid

The brilliance of 精 and the vividness of 彩 together give a sense of wonderful splendor.

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
米米mǐrice
Sound part声符shēngfú
青
青qīng精jīng
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

精 pairs 米 (rice) with 青, which gives the sound; the character originally meant polished rice.

Open 精 →

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
彡彡shān
Sound part声符shēngfú
采
采cǎi彩cǎi
Same sound today

彩 puts 采, which gives the sound, next to 彡, the three-stroke mark that carries the meaning.

Open 彩 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 4HSK 2.0 Level 4Good & Bad2000 Most Frequent Chinese Words3000 Most Frequent Chinese Words5000 Most Frequent Chinese Words

Browse more HSK 4 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.