袅袅

裊裊
niǎoniǎo
adjective #64,385

Meanings

  1. 1 curling upward (of smoke or mist)
  2. 2 lingering and graceful (of music)
  3. 3 swaying gracefully (of a slender figure)

Examples

HSK 7-9
Chuī yān niǎoniǎo shēngqǐ.
Cooking smoke curled upward in graceful spirals.
HSK 7-9
Yú yīn niǎoniǎo, bù jué rú lǚ.
The lingering melody trailed on like an unbroken thread.
HSK 7-9
Tā shēnzī niǎoniǎo, wǎnrú yángliǔ.
Her figure was as supple as a willow.

Tips

memory
contains (bird) - picture a bird's tail trailing in the breeze, or smoke ribboning upward like a fluttering feather. The reduplication makes it onomatopoeic-feeling for slow, weightless motion.
register
Highly literary/poetic. Common in classical poetry (余音袅袅) and atmospheric prose; not used in everyday conversation.

Stroke Order

niǎo