豆蔻年华

豆蔻年華
dòukòu-niánhuá
idiom #64,568

Meanings

  1. 1 a girl's early teens
  2. 2 the bloom of girlhood

Examples

HSK 5
Tā zhèngzhí dòukòu-niánhuá, duì shénme dōu hěn hàoqí.
She's in her early teens and curious about everything.
HSK 7-9
Zhàopiàn shàng de nǎinai háishi dòukòu-niánhuá, zā zhe liǎng tiáo cháng biànzi.
In the photo Grandma is still a young teenage girl, with two long braids.

Tips

history
From a farewell poem by 杜牧: 娉娉袅袅十三余,豆蔻梢头二月初 "graceful and slender, just past thirteen, like a cardamom bud on the tip of a branch in early spring". It is said only of girls, around thirteen or fourteen.

Stroke Order

豆 dòu
蔻 kòu
年 nián
华 huá