细腰

細腰

xìyāo

noun

Meanings

1 slender waist
2 thin waist (fig. a beautiful woman)

Characters

Examples

她有一双长腿和迷人的细腰。

Tā yǒu yì shuāng cháng tuǐ hé mírén de xìyāo.

She has long legs and an alluring slender waist.

这件旗袍最能衬托细腰。

Zhè jiàn qípáo zuì néng chèntuō xìyāo.

This qipao best shows off a slender waist.

Tips

history

King Ling of Chu (楚灵王) was famous for favoring courtiers with slender waists, giving rise to the saying 楚王好细腰，宫中多饿死 — 'because the king loved slim waists, many in the palace starved themselves to death.' An early recorded case of royal beauty standards harming health.

Stroke Order

细 xì

腰 yāo