金丝 (jīnsī): gold thread

Meanings

1 gold thread
2 gold wire
3 (figurative) something fine and golden, e.g. willow strands

Characters

金

silk thread; fine strand

Examples

她的衣服上绣着金丝。

Tā de yīfu shàng xiùzhe jīnsī.

Her clothing is embroidered with gold thread.

春风吹动金丝般的柳枝。

Chūnfēng chuīdòng jīnsī bān de liǔzhī.

The spring breeze stirred the willow branches like strands of gold.

Tips

culture

金丝 appears widely in Chinese craft and natural names: 金丝楠木 'golden-thread Phoebe wood' (luxury imperial timber), 金丝雀 'canary' (literally 'gold-thread bird'), 金丝猴 'golden snub-nosed monkey'. The character 丝 'thread' marks something long and fine, real or metaphorical.