媚 mèi attractive
attractive; charming; to charm; to flatter
怎么记住“媚”: 女 woman + 眉 eyebrows = attractive. The woman at the salon shapes my sister's eyebrows before the wedding, and the groom gasps that she looks attractive.
部件结构
形声 · Meaning + sound
One part gives the meaning, the other gives the sound.
媚 = 女 woman + 眉 eyebrows
- 女 woman meaning
- 眉 eyebrows sound
The woman at the salon shapes my sister's eyebrows before the wedding, and the groom gasps that she looks attractive.
How it came to be
The woman gives the meaning and the eyebrows the sound.
用法
- Charming/alluring, but also fawning: 妩媚 (wǔmèi) enchanting, 明媚 (míngmèi) bright and lovely (春光明媚 glorious spring scenery), 谄媚 (chǎnmèi) to flatter/toady.
- Note the split: 明媚 is purely positive of scenery, while 媚 applied to a person's manner (献媚) suggests obsequiousness.