窈窕

yǎotiǎo

adjective #20,069

Meanings

1 graceful and refined (of a woman)
2 slender and elegant
3 secluded and beautiful (of a place)

Characters

deep and secluded / graceful

slender / delicate / graceful

Examples

HSK 7-9

窈窕淑女，君子好逑。

Yǎotiǎo shūnǚ, jūnzǐ hǎo qiú.

A graceful and virtuous maiden - a gentleman's good match.

HSK 7-9

她身姿窈窕，举止优雅。

Tā shēnzī yǎotiǎo, jǔzhǐ yōuyǎ.

She has a graceful figure and elegant bearing.

Tips

history

窈窕 opens the Book of Songs (《诗经》), China's oldest poetry anthology (c. 11th-7th century BCE). The line 窈窕淑女，君子好逑 from the poem 关雎 is one of the most-quoted lines in Chinese literature, establishing 窈窕 as the classical ideal of feminine grace.

Stroke Order

窈 yǎo

窕 tiǎo