精瘦 (jīng shòu) — wiry, lean and tough | tongtong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

Describes someone (or an animal) thin but strong, with firm, lean muscle — not skinny or frail. Unlike plain 瘦, it implies toughness and hidden strength, often with a wiry, resilient look.

verb

wirylean and tough

Easily confused

经受jīng shòusound-aliketo undergo, endure, withstand (hardship, test, pressure, etc.)

Examples

，精瘦，。
Tā gè zi bù gāo, dàn shì jīng shòu, hěn yǒu lì qi.
He is not tall, but he is wiry and very strong.
精瘦，。
Zhè zhī māo suī rán jīng shòu, dàn shì fēi cháng líng huó.
This cat is wiry but very agile.
精瘦，。
Nà wèi lǎo rén jīng shòu, zǒu lù què hěn kuài.
That old man is wiry, yet walks very fast.

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.

精 in 精瘦 means 'very', so 精瘦 describes something as very 瘦, lean and tough.

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.

米青精

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.

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

疒叟瘦

Meaning part形符xíngfú

疒疒nè

Sound part声符shēngfú

叟

叟sǒu瘦shòu

Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

瘦 is built from 疒 and 叟: 疒 gives the meaning, and 叟 gives the sound.

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