发型

• Pinyin: fà xíng
• Hanzi breakdown: 发 = 髟 (hair radical) — hair (note: different character from 发 fā meaning to emit); 型 = 土 (earth/mould) + 刑 (to shape/form) — a mould that shapes something into a specific form

Meaning

Hairstyle; hairdo. The shape, cut, or arrangement of a person's hair.

Used in everyday conversation, fashion, beauty, and cultural contexts. 发型 encompasses both the cut (剪发) and styling (造型). In Chinese culture, certain hairstyles have had significant social, political, or generational connotations throughout history.

Examples

1. 她去发廊换了一个清爽利落的短发发型，同事们一致认为这个新造型比之前更加符合她干练的职场气质。 She went to the salon and switched to a crisp, clean short haircut, and her coworkers all agreed the new look suits her capable, professional vibe even better than before.
2. 面试前，他特意去理发店修整了发型，希望给面试官留下整洁专业的第一印象。 Before the interview, he went to a barbershop to tidy up his haircut, hoping to leave a neat and professional first impression.
3. 这位造型师以其对发型趋势的精准把握而闻名，每季都能推出引领整个行业风向的创意发型设计。 This stylist is known for an exceptionally accurate sense of hairstyle trends, and each season they create fresh designs that set the direction for the entire industry.

Usage Guide

Context: beauty, fashion, everyday, culture

Tone: neutral

Do Say

• 这款造型喷雾能把散乱发丝塑造成持久优雅的发型。(This styling spray can shape loose strands into an elegant, long-lasting hairstyle.)
• 某些历史时期，特定发型具有鲜明的政治和身份象征。(In some historical periods, specific hairstyles carried clear political and identity symbolism.)

Don't Say

• 她的发型很头发漂亮 — 发型 and 头发 refer to different aspects of hair and cannot be combined in this way; say 她的发型很漂亮 or 她的头发又长又亮 for clean, natural phrasing

Origin & History

发 (hair) + 型 (form/shape/style) — the shape or form of one's hair

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal