xiù
adjective/noun #1,215

Meanings

  1. 1 refined
  2. 2 elegant
  3. 3 show

Examples

Yōuxiù
outstanding; excellent
Xiùlì
beautiful; pretty

Tips

usage
(grain) — the finest grain that stands out in the field

Components

radical
grain; standing crop
Top grain radical — the indexing component. A pictograph of a grain plant with drooping head. The original depicted grain in flower — the most beautiful, elegant stage of the crop, hence the 'refined, elegant, outstanding' senses. The radical anchors the agricultural origin even when the modern meaning is purely abstract.
phonetic
nǎi
then; thus (here historical phonetic)
Bottom once supplied the sound but the link is now opaque (nǎi vs xiù shows heavy Old Chinese drift). One alternative reading takes the bottom as pictographic — the drooping flowering head of the grain itself. Either way the modern function is graphic; the 'then / thus' meaning of plays no role.

Stroke Order

xiù