精雕细琢
jīng diāo xì zhuó
to work with meticulous care; to polish to perfection
Character by character
精jīng
fine
fine
雕diāo
carve
carve
细xì
delicate
delicate
琢zhuó
polish
polish
Example
这幅画他精雕细琢了两年，每一片树叶都画得清清楚楚。
He worked on the painting with meticulous care for two years, and every leaf is clearly drawn.
Tone: positive (praise).
Usage and origin
From carving jade: 雕 and 琢 both mean to carve. Said of artworks, writing, films and fine craft: 精雕细琢的作品. 琢 is zhuó here, not zuó as in 琢磨 zuómo, “to ponder”.
Learn this in Lesson 66 · HSK 6: 《哪吒2》与中国电影 (Ne Zha 2 and Chinese cinema)
A dialogue, a reading, word cards with audio and a drill that uses it, in Learn Chinese with Bao. The first lessons of every level are free.
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