胭脂

yānzhī
noun #30,775

Meanings

  1. 1 rouge
  2. 2 red cosmetic for cheeks or lips

Examples

Tā zài liǎn shàng qīngqīng mǒ le diǎn yānzhī.
She lightly dabbed some rouge on her face.
Gǔdài nǚzǐ yòng yānzhī dǎban zìjǐ.
Women in ancient times used rouge to make themselves up.

Tips

history
Traditional 胭脂 was made by extracting red pigment from safflower (红花) petals. The name is said to derive from Mount Yan () in Gansu, where the Xiongnu cultivated the dye plant — losing it to the Han was lamented as losing their women's beauty.

Stroke Order

yān
zhī