HSK · Level 65
90 words
Chinese word
衬托
Pronunciation
Pinyinchèn tuō
Meaning
- verbenhance
Example
她的微笑把整个房间的气氛衬托得很温暖。tā de wēi xiào bǎ zhěng gè fáng jiān de qì fēn chèn tuō de hěn wēn nuǎn
Her smile enhanced the atmosphere throughout the room, making it feel very warm.
More examples
配饰的亮色衬托了整套服装的色调。pèi shì de liàng sè chèn tuō le zhěng tào fú zhuāng de sè diào
The bright colors of the accessories enhanced the color scheme of the entire outfit.
Core concept
A supporting background gives a person, object, or atmosphere greater visual or emotional presence.
Common phrases
衬托色调chèn tuō sè diào
enhance the color scheme
衬托背景chèn tuō bèi jǐng
enhance the background
衬托细节chèn tuō xì jié
highlight details
Similar words
突出tū chū: Makes a feature or quality stand out clearly.
强调qiáng diào: Stresses a point or opinion to show its importance clearly.
Definition in Chinese
用陪衬的手段使某人或某事在总体氛围中更为显眼或突出。yòng péi chèn de shǒu duàn shǐ mǒu rén huò mǒu shì zài zóng tǐ fēn wéi zhōng gèng wéi xián yǎn huò tū chū
Word origin
衬 (chèn, "to set off") and 托 (tuō, "to support") join the ideas of placing something alongside and holding it up, giving the word its sense of bringing a central feature into clearer view.
Usage tips
- The word fits descriptions of clothes, rooms, colors, lighting, and atmosphere, where one element makes another read more strongly as part of the whole.