巧妙

qiǎo miào

ingenious; clever

HSK 5

Character Breakdown

Meaning and Usage

"巧妙" describes something done with skill, cleverness, or ingenuity. It often praises designs, ideas, or methods that are both effective and subtly clever.

Common Contexts

You will frequently see "巧妙" used to describe clever solutions, artistic techniques, or plot devices in stories and films.

Collocations

  • 巧妙设计 (clever design): used when praising well-thought-out structures or plans.
  • 巧妙比喻 (ingenious metaphor): used in language or literature to describe skillful figurative expressions.
  • 巧妙安排 (clever arrangement): often used for plot or event planning that is skillfully done.

Nuance

"巧妙" emphasizes both intelligence and finesse. It is more positive and refined than just "聪明" (smart). Avoid confusing it with "" (coincidence), which sounds similar but means something different.

Example Sentences

他设计的这个机器结构非常巧妙,运行起来很高效。

Tā shèjì de zhège jīqì jiégòu fēicháng qiǎomiào, yùnxíng qǐlái hěn gāoxiào.

The machine structure he designed is very ingenious and runs efficiently.

她用巧妙的比喻让复杂的概念变得容易理解。

Tā yòng qiǎomiào de bǐyù ràng fùzá de gàiniàn biàn dé róngyì lǐjiě.

She used clever metaphors to make complex concepts easy to understand.

这部电影的剧情安排非常巧妙,令人意想不到。

Zhè bù diànyǐng de jùqíng ānpái fēicháng qiǎomiào, lìng rén yìxiǎng bù dào.

The plot arrangement of this movie is very clever and unexpected.