杨柳腰

楊柳腰

yángliǔyāo

noun

Meanings

1 willow waist
2 slender and supple waist (literary, of a woman)

Characters

poplar / willow

Examples

HSK 4

她一转身，杨柳腰随风轻摆。

Tā yī zhuǎnshēn, yángliǔyāo suí fēng qīng bǎi.

When she turned, her willow waist swayed lightly in the breeze.

HSK 7-9

古画里的仕女，大多有一副杨柳腰。

Gǔ huà lǐ de shìnǚ, dàduō yǒu yī fù yángliǔyāo.

The court ladies in old paintings almost all have willow-slim waists.

Tips

history

Bai Juyi's poem 《不能忘情吟》 contains the line 樱桃樊素口，杨柳小蛮腰, cherry-like mouth of Fansu, willow waist of Xiaoman. The phrase 杨柳腰 came to stand for slender-waisted beauty, and 小蛮 became a byword for a young beauty.

In Pop Culture

小蛮腰 Xiǎo mán yāo

Canton Tower's nickname

The Guangzhou TV tower is widely known as 小蛮腰 thanks to its curving, narrow-waisted silhouette - a direct nod to Bai Juyi's line.

Stroke Order

杨 yáng

柳 liǔ

腰 yāo