袅袅

裊裊
niǎoniǎo
adjective #64,385

Meanings

  1. 1 curling upward (of smoke or mist)
  2. 2 lingering and graceful (of music)
  3. 3 swaying gracefully (of a slender figure)

Examples

Chuīyān niǎoniǎo shēngqǐ.
Cooking smoke curled upward in graceful spirals.
Yúyīn niǎoniǎo, bù jué rú lǚ.
The lingering melody trailed on like an unbroken thread.
Tā shēnzī niǎoniǎo, wǎnrú yángliǔ.
Her figure was as supple as a willow.

Tips

memory
contains (bird) — picture a bird's tail trailing in the breeze, or smoke ribboning upward like a fluttering feather. The reduplication makes it onomatopoeic-feeling for slow, weightless motion.
register
Highly literary/poetic. Common in classical poetry (袅袅) and atmospheric prose; not used in everyday conversation.

Stroke Order

niǎo