美石

měishí
noun

Measure Word

美石 kuài

Meanings

  1. 1 a precious stone
  2. 2 a beautiful gemstone
  3. 3 fine ornamental stone

Examples

Zhè kuài měishí zhìdì wēnrùn, xiàng shì Hétián yù.
This precious stone has a warm, smooth texture - looks like Hotan jade.
Gǔrén pèidài měishí, yǐ qiú píng'ān.
The ancients wore precious stones to seek safe passage.

Tips

culture
In classical usage (yù) was defined as 'a beautiful stone' (石之美者) - so 美石 is essentially the etymological gloss of jade. The term is still used by collectors for any non-jade ornamental rock prized for color or pattern.

Stroke Order

měi
shí