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高挑 (gāo tiāo) — tall and slender (of a person); (of an object) raised high

Definition

Describes a person who is noticeably tall with a slim build — a stronger, more vivid word than 瘦 ('thin') because it combines height and slenderness together.

adjective
tall and slender (of a person)(of an object) raised high

Examples

  • 高挑，。
    Tā cháng dé hěn gāo tiāo, shēn cái tè bié hǎo.
    She is tall and slender, with a very nice figure.
  • 高挑。
    Nà ge gāo tiāo de nǚ shēng shì wǒ men bān de.
    That tall and slender girl is in our class.
  • 高挑，。
    Zhè ge mó tè shēn cái gāo tiāo, hěn shì hé zhè shēn yī fu.
    This model is tall and slender, perfect for this outfit.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

Two parts of equal weight, alike or opposite in meaning, standing side by side.

高gāotall
挑tiāoslender

高 gives tallness, and 挑 gives slenderness, together describing a person's build.

Characters in this word

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

高 was drawn as a tall building.

Open 高 →

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
兆
兆zhào挑tiāo
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

挑 has 手, meaning hand, and 兆, which gives the sound.

Open 挑 →
Appears in
AppearanceSize & Dimension

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