Chinese word

鲜艳

Pronunciation

Pinyinxiān yàn

Meaning

  • adjectivevivid

Example

她穿了一件鲜艳的红裙子。tā chuān le yí jiàn xiān yàn de hóng qún zi

She wore a vivid red dress.

Illustration for 鲜艳 (vivid)

More examples

舞台上的灯光让演员的妆容显得更鲜艳。wǔ tái shàng de dēng guāng ràng yǎn yuán de zhuāng róng xiǎn de gèng xiān yàn

The stage lighting made the actor's makeup look more vivid.

Core concept

A bright splash of color that catches the eye before finer details appear.

Common phrases

  • 鲜艳的妆容xiān yàn de zhuāng róng

    vivid makeup

  • 鲜艳的红裙子xiān yàn de hóng qún zi

    vivid red dress

  • 色调鲜艳sè diào xiān yàn

    vivid color tones

Similar words

明亮míng liàng: Full of light or bright in color, making it easy to see.
鲜明xiān míng: Sharp and clear in color or contrast, so differences stand out.
耀眼yào yǎn: Very bright or vivid, with an eye-catching effect.

Definition in Chinese

颜色鲜明、明亮，给人突出的视觉感受。yán sè xiān míng míng liàng gěi rén tū chū de shì jué gǎn shòu

Word origin

鲜 (xiān, "fresh") + 艳 (yàn, "beautiful and bright") combines 鲜's extended sense of clear brightness with 艳's sense of beauty, producing a word for color that stands out.

Usage tips

  • In everyday Chinese, this adjective can praise strong color without suggesting luxury, poor taste, or excessive decoration; the judgment comes from the surrounding words.

Other meanings

  • flashyadjective
  • gorgeousadjective

Opposites

  • 淡雅dàn yǎunderstated and elegantadjective
  • 素雅sù yǎsimple and elegantadjective

Word lists with this word