妙

玅

miào

女 + 少

HSK 3.0Level 6

Definitions

miào (adjective) wonderful; marvelous

miào (adjective) clever; ingenious

Etymology

Phonosemantic compound. 女 represents the meaning and 少 represents the sound.

Semantic: 女 Phonetic: 少

About

The character 妙 (miào) is a phono-semantic compound: the radical 女 (nǚ, 'woman') suggests the meaning, while the component 少 (shào) gives the sound. Early uses linked it to feminine beauty, youthful grace, physical attractiveness, and refined elegance. As the word matured, these gendered connotations diminished, and 妙 came to express a far wider range of admiration: profound excellence, remarkable cleverness, and subtle human ingenuity. Today, it is commonly used to describe brilliant strategies, masterful artistry, ingenious solutions to complex problems, and the delicate nuances that reveal exceptional skill. In this way, a character once tied to the ideal of a young woman now captures the wonder of all that is exquisite and well-conceived.

Etymology Hide

Clerical Eastern Han dynasty (25-220 AD)

Traditional Modern

Simplified Modern

Example Sentences Hide

这个主意真妙。

Zhège zhǔyì zhēn miào.

This idea is really clever.

这个故事很奇妙。

Zhège gùshì hěn qímiào.

This story is very wonderful.

她唱得美妙动听。

Tā chàng dé měimiào dòngtīng.

She sings beautifully and melodiously.

他的解释妙不可言。

Tā de jiěshì miào bù kě yán.

His explanation is too wonderful for words.

这幅画的色彩搭配很妙。

Zhè fú huà de sècǎi dāpèi hěn miào.

The color matching in this painting is very clever.

她用巧妙的方法解决了问题。

Tā yòng qiǎomiào de fāngfǎ jiějué le wèntí.

She solved the problem with a clever method.

这个设计妙在既实用又美观。

Zhège shèjì miào zài jì shíyòng yòu měiguān.

This design is clever in that it is both practical and beautiful.

科学家提出了一个绝妙的假设来解释这种现象。

Kēxuéjiā tíchū le yīgè juémiào de jiǎshè lái jiěshì zhè zhǒng xiànxiàng.

Scientists proposed a brilliant hypothesis to explain this phenomenon.

Related Characters

Component: 女

Component: 少

妙