夭夭

夭夭 (literary)

1. young and elegant

   • 桃之夭夭，灼灼其華。 [Pre-Classical Chinese, trad.]
     桃之夭夭，灼灼其华。 [Pre-Classical Chinese, simp.]

     From: The Classic of Poetry, c. 11^th – 7^th centuries BCE, translated based on James Legge's version

     Táo zhī yāoyāo, zhuózhuó qí huá. [Pinyin]

     The peach tree is young and elegant; Brilliant are its flowers.

   • 夭夭桃李花，灼灼有輝光。 [Classical Chinese, trad.]
     夭夭桃李花，灼灼有辉光。 [Classical Chinese, simp.]

     From: Wen Xuan, 6^th century CE

     Yāoyāo táolǐ huā, zhuózhuó yǒu huīguāng. [Pinyin]

     (please add an English translation of this usage example)

2. pleased; amiable; cheerful

   • 子之燕居，申申如也，夭夭如也。 [Classical Chinese, trad. and simp.]

     From: The Analects of Confucius, c. 475 – 221 BCE

     Zǐ zhī yànjū, shēnshēn rú yě, yāoyāo rú yě. [Pinyin]

     When the Master was unoccupied with business, his manner was easy, and he looked pleased.

• “夭夭”, in 重編國語辭典修訂本 [Revised Mandarin Chinese Dictionary] (in Chinese), National Academy for Educational Research (Taiwan), 2021.