彬彬

bīnbīn
adjective

Meanings

  1. 1 refined; cultivated
  2. 2 courteous and elegant

Examples

HSK 4
Tā shuōhuà zuòshì zǒngshì bīnbīn yǒu lǐ.
He is always courteous in what he says and does.
HSK 7-9
Zhè wèi lǎoxiānsheng wénzhì bīnbīn, yí kàn jiù shì dúshūrén.
This elderly gentleman is refined and cultivated: you can tell at a glance he's a man of letters.

Tips

history
From the Analects: 文质彬彬,然后君子 'when refinement and substance are in balance, you have a gentleman'. 彬彬 first meant that balance, then came to mean refined.
usage
Rarely used alone today. It lives in 彬彬有礼 'polite and courteous' and 文质彬彬 'gentle and refined'.

Stroke Order

彬 bīn