颦
to scowl; to knit the brows
Closest English meanings
frown·knit brows
The Calligrapher — Chǔ Suíliáng 褚遂良
Tang chancellor and regular-script master of elegant, balanced strokes.
Tang calligrapher (596–658), master of regular script — Tang master of graceful, tensile regular script favored by the imperial court. Tang dynasty
Cultural Story
颦 (pín) combines 頁, “head,” with the sound 頻, meaning to knit the brows in a frown. The earliest literary echo is in 《莊子·天運》, where 西施 病心而矉 (颦); her pained frown became the archetype of beauty in distress.
Common words & phrases
- 颦眉 knit brows · frown
- 颦蹙 frown · knit brows
- 微颦 slight frown
- 东施效颦 poor imitation
Read the story behind the character
To 颦眉 (knit one’s brows) or 颦蹙 (frown) signals worry or displeasure, while a 微颦 (slight frown) may be merely thoughtful. The idiom 东施效颦 (poor imitation) warns against copying others without understanding why.
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