绘画

• Pinyin: huì huà
• Hanzi breakdown: 绘 = 纟 (silk) + 会 (phonetic), originally embroidered patterns; 画 = 田 (field) + 凵 (container), a picture

Meaning

Painting; drawing; to paint or draw. The art or activity of creating pictures with paint, pencils, or other media.

Covers all forms of visual art creation including oil painting, watercolor, sketching, Chinese ink painting, etc. More formal than 画画 (to draw/paint). Common collocations: 绘画艺术 (painting art), 绘画作品 (paintings/artwork), 绘画技巧 (painting techniques), 电脑绘画 (digital art).

Examples

1. 她从小就展现出了惊人的绘画天赋，五岁就能画得有模有样。 She showed amazing painting talent from a young age — by five, she could already draw quite well.
2. 这幅绘画作品拍出了三千万的天价，震惊了整个艺术圈。 This painting sold for an astronomical 30 million, shocking the entire art world.
3. 学习绘画不仅能培养审美，还能让人静下心来。 Learning to paint not only cultivates aesthetic sense but also helps people calm down.

Usage Guide

Context: art, education, hobbies

Tone: artistic

Do Say

• 他在绘画方面很有造诣。(He has great achievements in painting.)
• 绘画是她的爱好。(Painting is her hobby.)

Don't Say

• 小孩涂鸦说绘画 (Don't describe children's casual doodling as 绘画 — use 画画 or 涂鸦; 绘画 implies more serious artistic work)

Origin & History

Compound of 绘 (to draw, paint) + 画 (picture, drawing). 绘 contains 糸 (silk thread), originally referring to colorful embroidery patterns.

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal