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美男子 (měi nán zǐ) — handsome man

Definition

Literary/formal term for a 'handsome man,' stronger and more complimentary than the everyday 帅哥. Use in writing or emphatic praise rather than casual chat.

noun
handsome man
Measure word · 个

Examples

  • 美男子。
    Dà jiā dōu shuō tā shì yí gè měi nán zǐ.
    Everyone says he is a handsome man.
  • 美男子。
    Zhè bù diàn yǐng de nán zhǔ jué shì gè měi nán zǐ.
    The male lead of this movie is a handsome man.
  • 美男子，。
    Tā suī rán shì měi nán zǐ, dàn xìng gé yě hěn hǎo.
    Even though he is a handsome man, his personality is also good.

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.

美měihandsome
男子man
男nánmale子zǐsuffix
后缀Suffix

“美” describes “男子”, and “男子” refers to a man.

Characters in this word

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

美 shows 大, a person, wearing 羊, a headdress of feathers or ram's horn.

Open 美 →

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

男 is made from 田, a field, and 力, strength. It shows a man working with strength in a field.

Open 男 →

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

子 is drawn as a baby with a large head, arms stretched out, and legs wrapped in a blanket.

Open 子 →
Appears in
AppearancePeople (General)

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