Chinese word

仙女

Pronunciation

Pinyinxiān nǚ

Meaning

  • nounfairy

Example

传说中她是一位仙女。chuán shuō zhōng tā shì yí wèi xiān nǚ

According to legend, she is a fairy.

Illustration for 仙女 (fairy)

More examples

节日里，孩子们把她打扮成仙女表演。jié rì lǐ hái zi men bǎ tā dǎ bàn chéng xiān nǚ biáo yǎn

During the festival, the children dressed her as a fairy for a performance.

Core concept

A female being imagined as belonging to a higher or magical realm, with delicate grace that can also describe an admired woman.

Common phrases

  • 仙女下凡xiān nǚ xià fán

    fairy descends to earth

  • 像仙女一样xiàng xiān nǚ yí yàng

    like a fairy

Similar words

女神nǚ shén: A female god worshipped in myths or religion.
仙人xiān rén: A human-like spirit believed to gain long life and special powers through spiritual practice.
天女tiān nǚ: A graceful, beautiful female spirit believed to descend from heaven.
妖精yāo jīng: A small magical being from legends, associated with nature or objects.

Definition in Chinese

指神话、民间传说或小说中出现的女性的灵性存在或天女，也可用于形容姿态轻灵、气质脱俗的女子。zhǐ shén huà mín jiān chuán shuō huò xiǎo shuō zhōng chū xiàn de nǚ xìng de líng xìng cún zài huò tiān nǚ yě kě yòng yú xíng róng zī tài qīng líng qì zhì tuō sú de nǘ zǐ

Word origin

仙 (xiān, "immortal") + 女 (nǚ, "woman") creates the idea of a woman with a supernatural nature, which explains the later figurative use for someone with an unusually refined appearance or air.

Usage tips

  • In everyday speech and online praise, the word can sound deliberately poetic, so it usually comments on a woman's appearance or bearing rather than making a literal claim about her powers.

Other meanings

  • celestial maidennoun

Opposites

  • 凡人fán rénmortalnoun

Word lists with this word