Chinese word

皱

Pronunciation

Pinyinzhòu

Meaning

  • verbfrown

Example

她听到后立刻皱了一下脸。tā tīng dào hòu lì kè zhòu le yí xià liǎn

She frowned the moment she heard it.

Illustration for 皱 (frown)

More examples

她看不懂图画，便皱起了眉头。tā kàn bù dǒng tú huà biàn zhòu qǐ le méi tóu

She did not understand the picture, so she furrowed her brows.

Core concept

Something loses its smooth surface by drawing inward into folds, whether it is fabric, paper, skin, or a person's face.

Common phrases

  • 皱眉头zhòu méi tou

    knit one's brows

  • 皱了脸zhòu le liǎn

    frown

  • 皱起眉头zhòu qǐ méi tóu

    furrow one's brows

Similar words

皱眉zhòu méi: Furrow the eyebrows into a frown, usually showing displeasure, doubt, or puzzlement.
皱眉头zhòu méi tou: Wrinkle the brow into a frown, often showing displeasure or puzzlement.

Definition in Chinese

表示使物体（如衣物、纸张）或皮肤产生褶皱；用于面部时，多指眉头向内收紧、短暂露出不悦或疑惑的表情。biǎo shì shǐ wù tǐ rú yī wù zhǐ zhāng huò pí fū chǎn shēng zhě zhòu yòng yú miàn bù shí duō zhǐ méi tóu xiàng nèi shōu jǐn duǎn zàn lù chū bú yuè huò yí huò de biǎo qíng

Word origin

The word 皱 (zhòu, "wrinkle; frown") grows from the physical idea of a surface pulled out of smoothness into folds, then applies that idea to facial skin.

Usage tips

  • English usually chooses different verbs for cloth, paper, skin, and facial expressions, so the object in a Chinese sentence helps determine the natural English wording.

Other meanings

  • wrinklenoun

Opposites

Related words

  • 皱纹zhòu wénwrinklenoun
  • 起皱qǐ zhòuget wrinkledverb
  • 皱巴巴zhòu bā bāwrinklyadjective

Word lists with this word