Learn a Chinese Character - 妙

1. Character Basics

Radical: \u0022女\u0022 (nǚ, \u0022woman/female\u0022)

Stroke Count: 7 strokes

Stroke Order:

2. Pronunciation

Pinyin: miào (Fourth tone)

3. Meaning

Wonderful; excellent; clever; skillful; ingenious; fantastic; mysterious; subtle

4. Common Words

• \u0022美妙\u0022 (měi miào) - \u0022beautiful and wonderful\u0022
• \u0022巧妙\u0022 (qiǎo miào) - \u0022ingenious; skillful\u0022
• \u0022奥妙\u0022 (ào miào) - \u0022profound mystery; secret\u0022
• \u0022奇妙\u0022 (qí miào) - \u0022wonderful; marvellous\u0022
• \u0022妙不可言\u0022 (miào bù kě yán) - \u0022too wonderful for words\u0022
• \u0022妙手回春\u0022 (miào shǒu huí chūn) - \u0022bring a patient back to life with wonderful medical skills\u0022
• \u0022妙趣横生\u0022 (miào qù héng shēng) - \u0022full of wit and humor\u0022
• \u0022神机妙算\u0022 (shén jī miào suàn) - \u0022divine strategies and wonderful calculations (extremely clever stratagems)\u0022

5. Grammar & Usage

\u0022妙\u0022 is primarily used as an adjective to describe something that is wonderful, excellent, or skillful. It can also be used as a noun in certain contexts to refer to a clever idea or subtle point. Common usages include:

• As an attributive adjective before nouns: \u0022妙语\u0022 (clever remark), \u0022妙计\u0022 (brilliant plan)
• As a predicative adjective after linking verbs: \u0022这个主意真妙！\u0022 (This idea is really wonderful!)
• In idiomatic expressions and set phrases to describe excellence or ingenuity
• When combined with other characters to form compound adjectives meaning \u0022fantastic\u0022 or \u0022marvelous\u0022

6. Cultural Background

In Chinese culture, the character \u0022妙\u0022 carries a deep appreciation for subtle beauty, cleverness, and excellence. It reflects the traditional Chinese aesthetic that values understated elegance and refined skill. The character appears frequently in classical Chinese poetry and literature to describe moments of unexpected beauty or brilliant insight.

Many idioms containing \u0022妙\u0022 emphasize the importance of wisdom and creativity in Chinese thought. In traditional arts like calligraphy, painting, and music, the concept of \u0022妙\u0022 represents the highest level of mastery where technique transcends into artistry. In contemporary usage, \u0022妙\u0022 continues to express admiration for skill, creativity, and aesthetic quality.

7. Example Sentence

8. Memory Tips

The character \u0022妙\u0022 consists of two parts: the radical \u0022女\u0022 (nǚ, woman) on the left and \u0022少\u0022 (shǎo, little/few) on the right. One way to remember it is to think of a \u0022woman with special or rare qualities\u0022, which connects to the meaning of wonderful or excellent. You can also visualize the character as a woman with a small (少) but special quality that makes her remarkable.

Practicing the correct stroke order (starting with the \u0022女\u0022 radical) and writing the character several times will help reinforce your memory. The sound \u0022miào\u0022 rhymes with \u0022妙\u0022 in Mandarin, which can also aid in memorization.