shuài
adjective HSK 4 #1,261

Meanings

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

Examples

Tā hěn shuài.
He is very handsome.
Nǐ jīntiān chuān de zhēn shuài!
You look really cool today!
Hǎo shuài a!
So handsome!

Tips

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

Components

radical
jīn
cloth; banner (radical)
Right cloth radical — the indexing radical, depicting a hanging cloth or banner. In / the cloth originally pictured a commander's standard, which is why means 'general, leader' and by metaphor 'dashing, handsome' (commanding presence). Same family as sail and flag.
ideograph
dāo
left-side residue from 帥 (graphic, not knife)
Left two strokes look like the knife radical but are simplified residue from traditional , 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.

Stroke Order

shuài