轮廓
lúnkuò
To say contour in Chinese, meaning an outline or the visible edge of a shape, use 轮廓 (lúnkuò).
轮廓 describes the outline of things in art, geography and faces. The traditional spelling is 輪廓. For the verb to outline or delineate, Chinese uses 勾勒.
Meaning: outline, boundary or border (noun)
Which one should you use?
For facial contouring in makeup the word is 修容, as in 修容技巧 for contouring techniques. In art or design, contour lines are 輪廓線 and a contouring method is 勾勒法.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Cantonese, 打陰影 (literally create shadow) can describe the makeup technique of contouring.
How do you pronounce it?
In pinyin it is lúnkuò, a rising tone followed by a falling tone.
Did you know?
- The first character in 轮廓 (lún) originally refers to a wheel. This suggests an ancient conceptual link between the circular edge of a wheel and the general idea of a boundary or outline.
- In Chinese calligraphy, the 'contour' of a character is not just a boundary but is analyzed through 间架结构 (jiānjià jiégòu). This treats the outline of a character like the architectural frame of a building.
- In Chinese art history, the technique of 勾勒 (outlining) was often viewed as the soul of a painting. Master artists believed that the strength of the 'contour' line determined the spiritual energy of the subject.
Examples in context
- 脸部的轮廓The contours of the face
- 远处的山峦轮廓非常清晰。Yuǎnchù de shānluán lúnkuò fēicháng qīngxī.The outline of the distant mountains is very clear.
- 这张照片勾勒出了他的脸部轮廓。Zhè zhāng zhàopiàn gōulè chūle tā de liǎnbù lúnkuò.This photo outlines the contour of his face.
- 月亮的轮廓在夜空中若隐若现。Yuèliàng de lúnkuò zài yèkōng zhōng ruòyǐnruòxiàn.The contour of the moon appears faintly in the night sky.
Example conversation
Two people are looking at a landscape painting in a gallery.
- 佳怡 Jiayi这幅画中建筑物的轮廓画得真好。Zhè fú huà zhōng jiànzhùwù de lúnkuò huà de zhēn hǎo.The outline of the buildings in this painting is drawn so well.
- 志强 Zhiqiang是的，线条非常有力量感。Shì de, xiàntiáo fēicháng yǒu lìliàng gǎn.Yes, the lines are very powerful.
- 佳怡 Jiayi志强，你觉得光影处理得怎么样？Zhìqiáng, nǐ juéde guāngyǐng chǔlǐ de zěnmeyàng?Zhiqiang, what do you think of the way the light and shadow are handled?
- 志强 Zhiqiang光影让轮廓看起来更有立体感了。Guāngyǐng ràng lúnkuò kàn qǐlái gèng yǒu lìtǐ gǎn le.The light and shadow make the contours look more three-dimensional.
