表情 (biǎo qíng) — (facial) expression | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

表情 means the look on someone's face — a general word for facial expression. 神情 is a more formal near-synonym emphasizing subtle mood; 笑容 is specifically a smile.

noun

(facial) expression

Examples

表情，。
Tā de biǎo qíng hěn yán sù, hǎo xiàng yǒu shén me xīn shì.
His expression was very serious, as if he had something on his mind.
表情。
Tā liǎn shàng lù chū kāi xīn de biǎo qíng.
A happy expression appeared on her face.
表情，。
Cóng biǎo qíng shàng kàn, tā bú tài mǎn yì zhè ge jié guǒ.
Judging by his expression, he wasn't very satisfied with the result.

Origin

Compound word

构词法gòucífǎ

动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

An action followed by what it acts on, fused into one word.

表biǎoexpress

情qíngfeeling

“表” (express) acts on “情” (feeling), giving facial expression.

Characters in this word

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

衣衣yīgarment; clothing
毛毛máohair; feather

The shape 表 pairs 衣 (garment) with 毛 (hair or feather), originally an outer garment.

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

心心xīnheart

Sound part声符shēngfú

青

青qīng情qíng

Same sound today

情 shows 心 (heart) beside 青, which gives the sound. The heart part points to feelings and inner states.

Appears in

HSK 3.0 Level 5 HSK 2.0 Level 5 Emotions & Feelings 2000 Most Frequent Chinese Words 3000 Most Frequent Chinese Words 5000 Most Frequent Chinese Words

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