秀 meaning and stroke order
Elegant, graceful, refined; flowing, luxuriant
How to write 秀, stroke by stroke
7 strokes in order. Each box adds the next stroke in red. Write top to bottom and left to right, and finish enclosing strokes last.
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Meaning of 秀
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- (bound form) refined; elegant; graceful; beautiful
- (bound form) superior; excellent
- (loanword) show (as in 時裝秀|时装秀[shi2 zhuang1 xiu4])
- (loanword) to show off; to flaunt (as in 秀廚藝|秀厨艺[xiu4 chu2 yi4])
- (literary) to grow; to bloom; (of grain crops) to produce ears
How 秀 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Flower.
禾 gives the meaning.
Radical: 禾 (cereal), shared by 66 characters on this site.
How to remember 秀
The top part is 禾 (hé), a grain plant, and the bottom is 乃 (nǎi). Picture a stalk of grain shooting up and putting out its ears, which is the old meaning of 秀: crops blooming, growing fine and beautiful.
In everyday Chinese 秀 mostly appears in compounds like 优秀 (yōuxiù, excellent) and 秀丽 (xiùlì, beautiful). It is also a loanword for English "show", as in 脱口秀 (tuōkǒuxiù, talk show), and can be a verb meaning to show off. Example: 他是一个很优秀的学生。(Tā shì yí gè hěn yōuxiù de xuésheng.) He is an excellent student.
Common mistake: Learners often confuse 秀 with 季 (jì, season), which also has 禾 on top but 子 below. Also do not mix up xiù with 绣 (xiù, to embroider) or 锈 (xiù, rust), which sound the same but have different radicals.
Common words with 秀
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 优秀 | yōuxiù | outstanding; excellent | HSK 4 |
| 秀美 | xiùměi | elegant; graceful | HSK 7-9 |
| 秀丽 | xiùlì | pretty; beautiful | HSK 7-9 |
| 真人秀 | zhēnrénxiù | (TV) reality show | |
| 脱口秀 | tuōkǒuxiù | (loanword) talk show; stand-up comedy | |
| 秀发 | xiùfà | beautiful hair | |
| 作秀 | zuòxiù | to show off (loanword, from English "show"); to grandstand | |
| 时装秀 | shízhuāngxiù | fashion show | |
| 走秀 | zǒuxiù | a fashion show; to walk the runway (in a fashion show) | |
| 新秀 | xīnxiù | rising star; new talent | |
| 秀才 | xiùcai | a person who has passed the county level imperial exam (historical); scholar |
秀 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Characters that contain 秀
Learning 秀 makes these easier to recognize and write.
Questions about 秀
How many strokes are in 秀?
秀 is written with 7 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 秀 mean?
秀 (xiù) means elegant, graceful, refined; flowing, luxuriant. A common word with it is 优秀 (yōuxiù), meaning "outstanding; excellent".
How do you pronounce 秀?
秀 is pronounced xiù, in the fourth tone (falling).
What is the radical of 秀?
The radical of 秀 is 禾, which carries the idea of "cereal". Dictionaries list 秀 under this radical.
Is 秀 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 秀 is part of the HSK 4 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard, and you are expected to write it by hand from HSK 3.
Can 秀 be used as a verb meaning to show off?
Yes. In casual modern speech 秀 means to show off or flaunt, as in 秀一下 (xiù yíxià, show it off a bit) or 秀厨艺 (xiù chúyì, show off cooking skills). 作秀 (zuòxiù) has a more negative sense of grandstanding or putting on an act.
Is 秀 used in names?
Yes, it is common in given names, especially for women, because it suggests beauty and refinement. You will see it in names like 秀英 (Xiùyīng) or 秀兰 (Xiùlán).