美轮美奂 (měi lún měi huàn) — (idiom) magnificent and majestic (of buildings, houses, palaces)

Definition

Chengyu for lavish, eye-catching buildings or interiors — originally praised architecture, now often extended to anything grandly decorated. Use only for impressive structures, not people.

idiom
magnificent and majestic (of buildings, houses, palaces)

Examples

  • 美轮美奂
    Zhè zuò gōng diàn měi lún měi huàn, lìng rén tàn wéi guān zhǐ.
    This palace is magnificent — it leaves people in awe.
  • 美轮美奂
    Xīn jiàn chéng de dà jù yuàn měi lún měi huàn, chéng le chéng shì de xīn dì biāo.
    The newly built grand theater is magnificent; it has become the city's new landmark.
  • 美轮美奂
    Tā mèng xiǎng yōng yǒu yí dòng měi lún měi huàn de bié shù.
    He dreams of owning a magnificent villa.

Origin

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 →

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 輪; 轮 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
carriage
Sound part声符shēngfú
lúnlún
Same sound today

The traditional form 輪 uses 車, a carriage, and 侖 for the sound; the simplified 轮 is a later shorthand.

Open 轮 →

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 →

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 奐; 奂 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
gǒng
Sound part声符shēngfú
xuàn
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

For 奂, the traditional form 奐 has 夐 at the top for sound and an image of eminence, and 廾 at the bottom as two hands for abundance.

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