装 zhuāng — adornment; adorn; costume; dress; clothing
他把书装进了书包。Tā bǎ shū zhuāng jìn le shū bāo.He put the books into the schoolbag.
Common words: 服装 (fú zhuāng)、安装 (ān zhuāng)、装置 (zhuāng zhì)
Meaning Index
Chinese characters meaning "adorn"
Learn Chinese characters with the meaning "adorn", including 装 (zhuāng), 饰 (shì), 扮 (bàn). Study pinyin, English meanings, traditional forms, common words…
How to Study This Meaning Group
The English word "adorn" covers 3 different Chinese characters — 装 (zhuāng), 饰 (shì), 扮 (bàn) — and each is its own word with its own feel. These 3 characters do not share a sound — their readings span zhuāng, shì, bàn — so confirm the pinyin and tone for each one separately. The example sentences further down show how 装 and the others are actually used, so you learn them in context rather than as a single translation.
- 装 zhuāngadornment; adorn; costume; dress; clothingUseful words: 服装, 安装
- 饰 shìadorn; ornamentsUseful words: 装饰, 掩饰
- 扮 bànto disguise oneself; to dress up; adornUseful words: 打扮, 扮演
Common words for these 3 "adorn" characters
Anchor each of these 3 characters in a word you can picture — start with 装 (zhuāng) — so "adorn" turns into concrete usage instead of a one-to-one translation.
服装fú zhuāngdress; clothing; costume; clothes安装ān zhuāngto install; to erect; to fix; to mount装置zhuāng zhìto install; installation; equipment; system装饰zhuāng shìto decorate; decoration; decorative; ornamental掩饰yǎn shìto cover up; to conceal; to mask; to gloss over服饰fú shìapparel; clothing and personal adornment打扮dǎ banto decorate; to dress; to make up; to adorn扮演bàn yǎnto play the role of; to act装扮zhuāng bànto decorate; to adorn; to dress up; to disguise oneself
See each character in a sentence
Each character below is shown in a short example sentence with pinyin and an English translation — the quickest way to feel the difference between the 3 ways to say "adorn".
饰 shì — adorn; ornaments
节日里，街道被装饰得十分漂亮。Jié rì lǐ, jiē dào bèi zhuāng shì de shí fēn piào liang.During the holiday, the streets are beautifully decorated.
Common words: 装饰 (zhuāng shì)、掩饰 (yǎn shì)、服饰 (fú shì)
扮 bàn — to disguise oneself; to dress up; adorn
在话剧里，他扮演一位老爷爷。Zài huà jù lǐ, tā bàn yǎn yí wèi lǎo yé ye.In the play, he plays an old grandpa.
Common words: 打扮 (dǎ ban)、扮演 (bàn yǎn)、装扮 (zhuāng bàn)
All 3 characters
Open 装、饰、扮 or any character below to hear it read aloud and see it used in an example sentence.