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鲜美 (xiān měi) — fresh and delicious; tasty

Definition

Literary 'fresh and delicious' — combines the freshness of 鲜 with the tastiness of 好吃, often for fish, soup, or just-picked food. More formal/written than 好吃.

adjective
fresh and delicioustasty

Examples

  • 鲜美。
    Zhè wǎn tāng wèi dào hěn xiān měi.
    This bowl of soup tastes very fresh and delicious.
  • 鲜美？
    Nǐ chī guò zhè me xiān měi de yú ma?
    Have you ever eaten such fresh and delicious fish?
  • 鲜美。
    Gāng zhāi de shuǐ guǒ tè bié xiān měi.
    Freshly picked fruit is especially fresh and delicious.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

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

鲜xiānfresh
美měidelicious

Fresh and delicious combine to describe food as both fresh and tasty.

Characters in this word

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 鮮; 鲜 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
魚魚yúfish
Sound part声符shēngfú
羴
羴shān鮮xiān
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 鮮 pairs 魚 (fish) with 羴, which gives the sound; this note is about 鮮, not 鲜.

Open 鲜 →

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 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9Flavors & Seasonings

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