秀

xiù

乃 + 禾

Definitions

xiù (adjective) elegant; graceful; refined

xiù (verb) to bloom; to show beauty

Etymology

Depicts a grain seedling (禾) pulled out (引) of the ground. The meaning later expanded to "bloom", "blossom", "elegant", and "excellent".

Semantic: 禾

About

The character 秀 denotes elegance, beauty, or excellence, especially in relation to plants. It is a phono-semantic compound: the top component 禾 (hé, "grain") serves as the semantic radical, indicating the category of crops, while the bottom component 乃 (nǎi) provides the phonetic element. Its original meaning described grain crops that had formed ears and begun to flower, visually standing out in a field. This imagery of a flourishing plant gradually extended to human qualities, representing someone exceptionally talented, graceful, or pleasing in appearance or skill.

Etymology Hide

Seal Chu (Warring States: 475-221 BC)

Seal Shuowen (~100 AD)

Clerical Qin dynasty (221-206 BC)

Clerical Eastern Han dynasty (25-220 AD)

Clerical Western Jin dynasty (266-316 AD)

Traditional Modern

Simplified Modern

Example Sentences Hide

这里的风景很秀丽。

Zhèlǐ de fēngjǐng hěn xiùlì.

The scenery here is very beautiful.

她有一头秀美的长发。

Tā yǒu yī tóu xiùměi de cháng fà.

She has beautiful long hair.

他的成绩很优秀。

Tā de chéngjī hěn yōuxiù.

His grades are excellent.

妹妹的字体很秀气。

Mèimei de zìtǐ hěn xiùqì.

My younger sister's handwriting is delicate.

她在秀场上走秀。

Tā zài xiùchǎng shàng zǒuxiù.

She is walking the runway at the fashion show.

他喜欢秀自己的新车。

Tā xǐhuān xiù zìjǐ de xīn chē.

He likes to show off his new car.

这对夫妻经常秀恩爱。

Zhè duì fūqī jīngcháng xiù ēn'ài.

This couple often shows off their affection.

演员在节目中秀出了精湛的演技。

Yǎnyuán zài jiémù zhōng xiù chūle jīngzhàn de yǎnjì.

The actor showed off superb acting skills in the program.

Related Characters

Composed characters:

Component: 乃

Component: 禾

秀