花瓶

huāpíng

noun HSK 6 #8,168

Measure Word

一只花瓶 zhī

Meanings

1 vase; flower vase
2 (figurative) someone valued only for their looks; a pretty face

Characters

A bottle for flowers — a vase.

Examples

桌子上摆着一只花瓶。

Zhuōzi shang bǎi zhe yī zhī huāpíng.

There's a vase on the table.

这个花瓶是明朝的古董。

Zhège huāpíng shì Míng cháo de gǔdǒng.

This vase is a Ming Dynasty antique.

她不想被人当作花瓶。

Tā bù xiǎng bèi rén dàng zuò huāpíng.

She doesn't want to be treated as just a pretty face.

Tips

culture

Calling someone a 花瓶 implies they're decorative but useless — especially applied to actresses given roles purely for their looks, or people in token positions.

Stroke Order

花 huā

瓶 píng