玉 (yù) - Jade — a precious stone & beautiful

玉Tone 4

yù ｜ 5 strokes ｜ radical: 玉

与喻

玉 · yù

Jade — a precious stone;

beautiful;

pure;

noble;

used metaphorically for something precious or excellent.

Jade — a precious stonebeautifulpure

Usage highlights

Jade stoneJade articleJade pendantJadeiteJade carvingJade bracelet

Synonyms

Antonyms

  • 石— stone (ordinary, as opposed to precious jade)
  • 瓦— tile (common, as opposed to precious)

Usage & contexts

Examples

  • She wears a jade bracelet (玉镯).
  • This is a piece of white jade (白玉).
  • The jade carving is exquisite (玉雕).
  • He has a heart of jade (玉心) — meaning pure and noble.

Collocations

  • Jade stone(玉石)
  • Jade article(玉器)
  • Jade pendant(玉佩)
  • Jadeite(翡翠玉)
  • Jade carving(玉雕)
  • Jade bracelet(玉镯)

Idioms

  • As pure as jade(玉洁冰清)
  • Gold and jade fill the hall(金玉满堂)
  • Fragments of jade(玉碎)
  • Throw a brick to attract jade(抛砖引玉)
  • Jade and silk(玉帛)
  • Jade tree facing the wind(玉树临风)

Cultural background

FAQ
  • Jade has been highly valued in Chinese culture for over 8,000 years, symbolizing virtue, beauty, and purity.
  • In imperial China, jade was considered more precious than gold and was used in rituals, burial suits, and royal ornaments.
  • The character 玉 appears in many Chinese given names, especially female names, to convey beauty and virtue.

FAQ