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素描 (sù miáo) — (noun) a rough drawing; a sketch; (noun) a short literary description; a literary sketch; (verb) to sketch; to make a rough drawing

Definition

A two-sense word: the noun means a sketch (drawing) or a short literary sketch; used as a verb in the art sense only ("to sketch"). Measure word for the drawing sense is 幅.

noun
a rough drawinga sketcha short literary descriptiona literary sketch
verb
to sketchto make a rough drawing
Measure word · 幅

Examples

  • 素描。
    Huà jiā zài gōng yuán lǐ sù miáo le yí wèi lǎo rén de xiào xiàng.
    The painter sketched an old man's portrait in the park.
  • 素描，。
    Zhè piān sù miáo suī rán hěn duǎn, dàn hěn shēng dòng.
    This literary sketch is very short, but very vivid.
  • 素描。
    Tā yòng le shí fēn zhōng jiù wán chéng le yì fú sù miáo.
    She completed a sketch in just ten minutes.

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.

素sùplain
描miáodrawing

The 素 plain and 描 drawing combine to name a rough sketch.

Characters in this word

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

The shape of 素 came from a picture of hands braiding thread.

Open 素 →

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
手手shǒuhand
Sound part声符shēngfú
苗
苗miáo描miáo
Same sound today

The hand part 手 is on the left, showing the action is done with the hand. The right part 苗 gives the sound.

Open 描 →
Appears in
Art & Fine Arts

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