衣冠楚楚
yī guān chǔ chǔ
immaculately dressed; smartly turned out
Character by character
衣yī
clothes
clothes
冠guān
hat
hat
楚chǔ
neat
neat
楚chǔ
neat
neat
Example
他每天衣冠楚楚地出门，谁也想不到他已经失业半年了。
He leaves home every day immaculately dressed; nobody would guess he has been out of work for six months.
Tone: neutral.
Usage and origin
楚楚 is “neat and bright”, as in the 《诗经》 line 衣裳楚楚. Often neutral or approving, but it can be ironic about a smart exterior hiding something: 衣冠楚楚的骗子.
Learn this in Lesson 132 · HSK 7–9: 从的确良到汉服 (From Dacron shirts to Hanfu)
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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