帅 (shuài) · handsome, graceful, cool

Meanings

1 handsome
2 graceful
3 cool
4 commander-in-chief

Characters

帅

shuài

handsome; commander

Examples

HSK 1

他很帅。

Tā hěn shuài.

He is very handsome.

HSK 2

你今天穿得真帅！

Nǐ jīntiān chuān de zhēn shuài!

You look really cool today!

HSK 4

这位男演员又高又帅，很受欢迎。

Zhè wèi nán yǎnyuán yòu gāo yòu shuài, hěn shòu huānyíng.

This male actor is tall and handsome, and very popular.

Tips

usage

帅 is primarily used for men. For women, use 漂亮 (pretty) or 美 (beautiful). However, 帅 can describe cool actions regardless of gender: 这个动作很帅.

Components

radical

巾 jīn

cloth; banner (radical)

Right cloth radical - the indexing radical, depicting a hanging cloth or banner. In 帥/帅 the cloth originally pictured a commander's standard, which is why 帅 means 'general, leader' and by metaphor 'dashing, handsome' (commanding presence). Same family as 帆 sail and 帜 flag.

ideograph

刂 dāo

left-side residue from 帥 (graphic, not knife)

Left two strokes look like the knife radical 刂 but are simplified residue from traditional 帥, where the left half originally pictured a hanging banner or pile. The 1956 reform reduced it to two strokes; treat as graphic skeleton - the 'knife' reading is misleading here.