服装

• Pinyin: fú zhuāng
• Hanzi breakdown: 服 = 月 (flesh/body) + 𠬝 (hand reaching), meaning clothing; 装 = 壮 (strong) + 衣 (clothing), meaning to dress or outfit

Meaning

Clothing; garments; attire. A general term for clothes, especially in formal or commercial contexts.

More formal than 衣服. Common in fashion, retail, and professional contexts. Used in phrases like 服装店 (clothing store), 服装设计 (fashion design), and 工作服装 (work attire).

Examples

1. 这家服装店的衣服又便宜又好看。 The clothes at this clothing store are both cheap and good-looking.
2. 她想学习服装设计。 She wants to study fashion design.
3. 参加面试要穿正式的服装。 You should wear formal attire for a job interview.

Usage Guide

Context: fashion, retail, professional

Tone: neutral

Do Say

• 这个品牌的服装质量很好。(The clothing quality of this brand is very good.)
• 演出需要统一的服装。(The performance requires uniform costumes.)

Don't Say

• 我今天穿了一件新服装 (In everyday conversation, don't say 服装 for a single piece of clothing — use 衣服; 服装 refers to clothing collectively or in a formal/commercial sense)

Origin & History

Compound of 服 (clothing, to wear) and 装 (to dress, outfit), both relating to clothing and dressing.

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal